Troy D. Glover
@troyglover.bsky.social
Professor in the Department of Recreation & Leisure Studies and Director of the Healthy Communities Research Network at the University of Waterloo, Canada
Shared spaces are critical to addressing the existential threat posed by polarization. Without these spaces, we effectively cede relationships, with friends and strangers alike, to social media algorithms designed to amplify division rather than bridge it. time.com/7337124/know...
Getting to Know Your Neighbors Can Save Democracy
As Americans spend more time home alone, meeting neighbors in shared spaces could help address political polarization.
time.com
November 30, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Shared spaces are critical to addressing the existential threat posed by polarization. Without these spaces, we effectively cede relationships, with friends and strangers alike, to social media algorithms designed to amplify division rather than bridge it. time.com/7337124/know...
Adults who live in walkable neighborhoods are more likely to interact with their neighbours and have a stronger sense of community than people who live in car-dependent communities today.ucsd.edu/story/walkab...
Walkable Neighborhoods Help Adults Socialize, Increase Community
Adults who live in walkable neighborhoods are more likely to socialize and have a stronger sense of community, report researchers at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human...
today.ucsd.edu
September 11, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Adults who live in walkable neighborhoods are more likely to interact with their neighbours and have a stronger sense of community than people who live in car-dependent communities today.ucsd.edu/story/walkab...
Fight for a society that makes real connection easier than the fake kind thehumanist.com/commentary/t...
TheHumanist.com
TheHumanist.com is the online hub for news, politics, science, and culture from a humanist perspective.
TheHumanist.com
September 9, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Fight for a society that makes real connection easier than the fake kind thehumanist.com/commentary/t...
Too many boys and young men are unwoven from the fabric of our society. This is dangerous for them and for everyone else. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/15/o...
Opinion | Boy Crisis of 2025, Meet the ‘Boy Problem’ of the 1900s
www.nytimes.com
August 17, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Too many boys and young men are unwoven from the fabric of our society. This is dangerous for them and for everyone else. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/15/o...
Gen Z is health-maxing in a way historically unique, at the same time that their withdrawal from physical social connection is similarly without precedent. www.derekthompson.org/p/the-great-...
The Great American Fitness Boom
Pilates is surging. Gyms are packed. Americans are working out more than ever. A graph-by-graph guide to the fitness revolution sweeping the country
www.derekthompson.org
August 14, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Gen Z is health-maxing in a way historically unique, at the same time that their withdrawal from physical social connection is similarly without precedent. www.derekthompson.org/p/the-great-...
Evidence of a growing perception of city streets as corridors for movement rather than spaces for social interaction. Sad. www.dezeen.com/2025/07/31/w...
MIT finds people walking faster and lingering less in public space
Pedestrians are walking 15 per cent faster and stopping to linger 14 per cent less than they used to, according to a study from MIT's Senseable City Lab that hopes to guide the design of public spaces...
www.dezeen.com
August 8, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Evidence of a growing perception of city streets as corridors for movement rather than spaces for social interaction. Sad. www.dezeen.com/2025/07/31/w...
Join the movement and become a certified Connnection Builder member.chamberofconnection.org/designing-a-...
Designing a Connected Life
member.chamberofconnection.org
July 28, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Join the movement and become a certified Connnection Builder member.chamberofconnection.org/designing-a-...
Interesting that lifestyle changes such as physical activity and brain exercises are championed as ways to enhance brain health, yet the final line of the article says “socializing is one of the best ways to keep your brain young.” Get social, folks!
www.npr.org/2025/07/28/n...
www.npr.org/2025/07/28/n...
Trying to keep your brain young? A big new study finds these lifestyle changes help
A study of more than 2,100 people ages 60 to 79 found that an intensive two-year program of mental and physical activities, along with a heart-healthy diet, improved memory and thinking.
www.npr.org
July 28, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Interesting that lifestyle changes such as physical activity and brain exercises are championed as ways to enhance brain health, yet the final line of the article says “socializing is one of the best ways to keep your brain young.” Get social, folks!
www.npr.org/2025/07/28/n...
www.npr.org/2025/07/28/n...
Building and bolstering multiuse social infrastructure offers a quicker and more affordable route to climate resiliency www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...
Globe editorial: The dangers of isolation in a sweltering city
In a heat wave, those cut off from community connections are far more likely to die
www.theglobeandmail.com
July 16, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Building and bolstering multiuse social infrastructure offers a quicker and more affordable route to climate resiliency www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...
Taking matters into their own hands: guerrilla infrastructure—such a cool term! thetyee.ca/Culture/2025...
The Case of the Sunshine Coast Bus Stop Chairs | The Tyee
Take a seat! Up here, guerrilla infrastructure abounds. A Tyee photo essay.
thetyee.ca
June 7, 2025 at 4:46 AM
Taking matters into their own hands: guerrilla infrastructure—such a cool term! thetyee.ca/Culture/2025...
I learned this on my recent trip to Helsinki. The happiest cities are the most bike-friendly momentummag.com/the-happiest...
The Happiest Cities in the World are Also the Most Bicycle Friendly
The 2025 Happy City Index is in and the world's happiest cities are also some of the best places to ride a bike.
momentummag.com
May 31, 2025 at 1:59 PM
I learned this on my recent trip to Helsinki. The happiest cities are the most bike-friendly momentummag.com/the-happiest...
Though Zuckerberg’s remarks should always be scrutinized, I am curious what role, if any, parasocial relationships with AI will have in addressing (or complicating) social isolation and loneliness. www.404media.co/mark-zuckerb...
Mark Zuckerberg Thinks You Don't Have Enough Friends and His Chatbots Are the Answer
The CEO of Meta says "the average American has fewer than three friends, fewer than three people they would consider friends. And the average person has demand for meaningfully more.”
www.404media.co
May 2, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Though Zuckerberg’s remarks should always be scrutinized, I am curious what role, if any, parasocial relationships with AI will have in addressing (or complicating) social isolation and loneliness. www.404media.co/mark-zuckerb...
People are attracted to sustainable design and lifestyle, which draws them in. But they probably stay for the social interaction. www.cnu.org/publicsquare...
Social life, not density, makes city dwellers happy
Culdesac in Tempe, Arizona, has people-friendly courtyards and a walkable design, which leads to success. The formula is explained in Happy City.
www.cnu.org
April 18, 2025 at 3:56 PM
People are attracted to sustainable design and lifestyle, which draws them in. But they probably stay for the social interaction. www.cnu.org/publicsquare...
The Connection Opportunity
Insights for Bringing Americans Together Across Difference by @moreincommonus.bsky.social moreincommonus.com/publication/...
Insights for Bringing Americans Together Across Difference by @moreincommonus.bsky.social moreincommonus.com/publication/...
The Connection Opportunity
More in Common’s two-year study of 6,000+ Americans reveals key insights into Americans’ interest in connection across lines of difference as well as the barriers that stand in the way.
moreincommonus.com
April 2, 2025 at 1:58 PM
The Connection Opportunity
Insights for Bringing Americans Together Across Difference by @moreincommonus.bsky.social moreincommonus.com/publication/...
Insights for Bringing Americans Together Across Difference by @moreincommonus.bsky.social moreincommonus.com/publication/...
Doctors prescribe time in cultural institutions to boost mental health and reduce loneliness www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
Take two Van Goghs daily: the growing popularity of museum prescriptions
Research backs schemes that encourage doctors to prescribe time in cultural institutions to boost mental health and reduce loneliness
www.theguardian.com
April 1, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Doctors prescribe time in cultural institutions to boost mental health and reduce loneliness www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
Reposted by Troy D. Glover
💥 The research is clear: now it’s up to all of us to do something about it.
March 28, 2025 at 11:00 AM
💥 The research is clear: now it’s up to all of us to do something about it.
We may live in everyday contact with our immediate neighbours, but we thrive when we live in meaningful concentric circles of belonging that extend outward to all of humanity. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Opinion: What nationalism gets wrong about belonging
Donald Trump’s anti-globalism aims at a public that feels cynical about big institutions and starved of authentic community. Abandoning the world won’t fill that void
www.theglobeandmail.com
March 30, 2025 at 11:23 AM
We may live in everyday contact with our immediate neighbours, but we thrive when we live in meaningful concentric circles of belonging that extend outward to all of humanity. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Covering up signs that deter children from being active www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Yes, ball games: drive to take down signs warning against play begins in London
Charity says thousands of signs on capital’s estates deter children from being active, and is covering some of them up
www.theguardian.com
March 18, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Covering up signs that deter children from being active www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
There are too few opportunities to work together for broadly shared values and interests prospect.org/special-repo...
The Narrowing of Civic Life
prospect.org
March 12, 2025 at 3:35 PM
There are too few opportunities to work together for broadly shared values and interests prospect.org/special-repo...
Tired of scrolling? This Calgary club is helping people reconnect in real life www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/gl...
Tired of scrolling? This Calgary club is helping people reconnect in real life
Feeling consumed by screens, Nina Hill and two friends started the Offline Wellness Club to get active and connect without technology
www.theglobeandmail.com
March 6, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Tired of scrolling? This Calgary club is helping people reconnect in real life www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/gl...
Don’t just do something; sit there www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...
www.theglobeandmail.com
March 1, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Don’t just do something; sit there www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...
The intellectual hegemony of
Robert Putnam on all things community in America connectivetissue.substack.com/p/beyond-bob
Robert Putnam on all things community in America connectivetissue.substack.com/p/beyond-bob
Beyond Bob
By granting Robert Putnam intellectual hegemony on all things community in America, we limit our understanding of the past and constrain our visions of what’s possible for the future
connectivetissue.substack.com
February 28, 2025 at 3:58 AM
The intellectual hegemony of
Robert Putnam on all things community in America connectivetissue.substack.com/p/beyond-bob
Robert Putnam on all things community in America connectivetissue.substack.com/p/beyond-bob
New magazine-like publication called Let’s Talk About Placemaking from @canurb.bsky.social includes 100+ placemaking projects from practitioners across Canada placemakingcommunity.ca/lets-talk-ab...
Let's Talk About Placemaking | Canada's Placemaking Community
placemakingcommunity.ca
February 28, 2025 at 3:47 AM
New magazine-like publication called Let’s Talk About Placemaking from @canurb.bsky.social includes 100+ placemaking projects from practitioners across Canada placemakingcommunity.ca/lets-talk-ab...