A new resident experience; improving cohesion and safety in social housing

APPROACH

Not just designing for residents, but with them

Listening Deeply: Building a Foundation of Insight

We began with a simple principle: before designing anything, understand everything.

Our research phase combined global perspective with hyperlocal insight. We studied urban communities across cities like London, Singapore, and New York to understand how social cohesion was being fostered—or quietly eroded. We leaned on the work of urbanists like Jan Gehl, who warned that modern housing design often strips away “social opportunity zones”—the doorsteps, balconies, and front gardens where interaction naturally occurs.

“A good city is like a good party—you stay because you’re enjoying yourself.”
— Jan Gehl

We reached out to co-living startups, UK councils, and social housing innovators to collect expert perspectives. We learned how development pressures were often squeezing out shared spaces in favour of square footage, and how this was compounding loneliness, mistrust, and disengagement among residents.

To ground these insights, we embedded ourselves in WHG properties—observing resident behaviour, interviewing tenants, and unpacking the lived experience of social life (or the lack thereof) within these communities. The stories were stark: people who had lived side-by-side for ten years without a single conversation. Residents who didn’t know how to ask for help—or who to ask. For many, community felt like something that happened elsewhere.

We synthesised this research into a powerful insight model:

• Getting to know your neighbours
• Getting to know your community
• Forming a relationship with your location

These three drivers formed the spine of our design. We mapped resident journeys, WHG’s internal processes, and developed opportunity scenarios. What became crystal clear was this:

If the resident experience is nurtured from move-in day, social cohesion can take care of itself for years to come.

Fig.1 – Example of opportunity area visualisation

Fig.2 – Example of ideal resident experience phases

Co-Creating a Socially Conscious Resident Experience

Armed with this understanding, we formed a hypothesis:

A conscious introduction to community and place builds long-term cohesion.

To test and shape this idea, we ran a series of co-creation workshops—bringing WHG stakeholders and Walsall residents together. These Zoom-based sessions gave us a 360º view: residents shared their hopes, fears, and lived experiences; WHG teams unpacked operational realities and strategic aspirations.

Together, we prototyped simple but powerful interventions that would make people feel welcome and connected from day one:

• A WhatsApp group to connect new residents with neighbours
• A Welcome Pack to help orient people to their new home and surroundings
• Local business discounts to encourage exploration of the area
• A first-week community event to create a meaningful moment of connection

We weren’t designing for the community. We were designing with them.

Fig.3 – Screenshot from a zoom co-creation workshop

Prototyping “Knock Knock” : A Toolkit for Human Connection

What emerged was Knock Knock—a two-part offering designed to gently nudge residents toward community.

The Social Kit
A physical kit with playful, low-pressure tools:

• Challenge Cards to spark acts of neighbourliness
• Community Postcards for analog introductions
• Local highlights and maps that turn exploration into discovery

The Digital Platform
A simple, opt-in app that offered:

• Practical onboarding info about WHG services
• Drop-in tea sessions to meet others
• A community treasure hunt to explore local assets—parks, businesses, meetups, and more

Knock Knock was intentionally lightweight. It didn’t require massive infrastructure or behavioural change—just a few nudges in the right moments. And while it was designed with new residents in mind, we ensured it was just as relevant and accessible for those who had lived in WHG properties for years.

We piloted Knock Knock with 40 residents, and the response was deeply encouraging. Residents called it “the first time anyone helped me connect like this,” and WHG stakeholders saw the potential to scale. The concept moved forward to an expanded pilot across four high-rise blocks.