Systems Of Cross-sector Integration and Action across the Lifespan (SOCIAL) Framework Report

From the Co-Chairs As humans, we evolved in community. People gathered in small tribes to support one another, to provide protection, warmth, food, and care for children. Given our nature, being completely autonomous and independent is a threat to survival. Our basic need to be interdependent remains even though the backdrop of humanity has transformed over centuries. For decades, the healthy communities field has demonstrated that where we are live, learn, work, play, and age impacts our health.

It’s clearer than ever that the way our communities are designed, maintained, and activated deeply impacts our quality of life. We need collaborative approaches, across sectors and including residents, that address the root causes of health disparities and strategically integrate multi-level supports.

So, we’re thrilled to co-lead the development of this important report centered on the impact and intersection of the built environment and social connection. It aligns with our personal passions and professional pathways. We both believe it’s critical to strategically and intentionally create the conditions needed for health and wellbeing in all communities. We believe it’s especially important to do so with those who are most marginalized because of their race, income, location, sexual orientation, and gender identity. As the U.S. Surgeon General noted in his Advisory Report, social isolation and loneliness is a public health crisis.

Fortunately, social connection and community have healing effects. May this report help you work with others to translate the recommended strategies into locally informed design decisions that support connected communities wherever you are. Working together, we can all experience those healing effects locally and globally. —Erin and Risa