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European collaboration: I BELONG

Led by Fontys University of Applied Sciences and co-financed by Regieorgaan SIA, part of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), I BELONG brings together a diverse consortium of academic, municipal, and industry partners from six European countries.

As a key academic partner, ¹û¶³´«Ã½ contributes its deep knowledge of spatial design, urban systems, and human-centered urban planning. Researchers, Gamze Dane and Astrid Kemperman (members of Urban Systems and Real Estate Unit) from the Department of the Built Environment will play a central role in analyzing spatial data, co-developing spatial interventions, and evaluating the impact of interventions on young adults’ sense of belonging and connectedness.

Addressing a growing crisis

Loneliness is a significant problem, especially among young people. In the Netherlands, 4 out of 10 adults feel lonely. Emotional loneliness is highest among young adults aged 15 to 25, with 14% feeling severely emotionally lonely (1 in 10 people feel severely lonely in 2023 | CBS).

This emotional loneliness, the lack of a close bond, is a worrying trend that needs attention. Research has shown that loneliness not only harms mental health but also affects social and physical health. It is even as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

While various interventions have been developed to combat loneliness, these rarely focus on the role of the built environment. This project specifically investigates how the physical living environment can contribute to people's well-being and how spatial interventions can help address feelings of loneliness.

Together with practical and knowledge partners from six European countries, combining expertise on loneliness and the physical living environment, we are conducting this research.

The I BELONG project is structured around three core goals:

Understanding the link

Investigate how loneliness and the built environment are connected, and identify the mechanisms through which spatial factors influence emotional well-being.

Designing interventions

Develop and test spatial interventions—such as public spaces, housing layouts, and urban design strategies—that can reduce loneliness among young people.

Building a European network

Strengthen collaboration across Europe by creating a knowledge-sharing consortium of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers focused on loneliness and the built environment.

In addition to ¹û¶³´«Ã½, the project includes partners from across Europe:

Maynooth University (Ireland), University of Eastern Finland, University of Copenhagen (Denmark), University of Manchester (UK), Thomas More (Belgium), Municipality of Eindhoven, Planterra, and Urban Sync.

Together, these partners bring a rich mix of expertise in urban design, social sciences, public health, and youth engagement.

National recognition: CARE receives NWO grant

In addition to I BELONG, ¹û¶³´«Ã½ researchers have received a prestigious NWO Open Competition SSH-M grant for the project CARE – Co-designing Public Spaces to Alleviate Loneliness and Restore Emotional Well-being of Young Adults. This €400,000 grant supports a more in-depth, nationally focused study on how public spaces can be designed to foster emotional well-being.

CARE will use immersive virtual reality and co-design workshops to explore how young adults (18–25) interact with public spaces and how these environments can be improved to support social connection. The project unfolds in three phases:

Experiencing the Now – Using real-time data to understand how young adults experience public spaces in daily life.

Identifying the Needs – Engaging young adults in co-design workshops to uncover their preferences and needs.

Experiencing the Future – Using immersive VR to simulate and refine public space designs based on user input.

By integrating innovative methods and young adults’ perspectives, CARE aims to create emotionally supportive public spaces that reduce loneliness and enhance community belonging.

Read more about the CARE project on the

A shared mission, different scopes

While both projects address loneliness among young adults, they differ in scope and approach. I BELONG is a collaborative European effort focused on cross-national learning and pilot interventions, while CARE is a nationally funded, ¹û¶³´«Ã½-led initiative that dives deeper into co-design and emotional well-being through public space innovation.

Together, these projects reflect ¹û¶³´«Ã½â€™s commitment to using design and research to address pressing societal challenges and improve the lives of young people.