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
What if the most important metric for strengthening our communities is the amount of time we spend together? This thought-provoking article argues rebuilding our social fabric begins by measuring and increasing "time together." An idea worth considering. belongfulness.substack.com/p/the-fight-...
The fight against social isolation desperately needs a number. Is this it?
The movement to counter our unraveling social fabric is always going to be in first gear until is picks a clear goal to work towards. Here's my idea for what that could be.
belongfulness.substack.com
July 3, 2026 at 6:23 PM
What if the most important metric for strengthening our communities is the amount of time we spend together? This thought-provoking article argues rebuilding our social fabric begins by measuring and increasing "time together." An idea worth considering. belongfulness.substack.com/p/the-fight-...
Reposted by Troy D. Glover
Did you know? Libraries remain among the most used community spaces in Waterloo Region, despite changing use during the pandemic.
Learn more about the impact libraries are having on our communities’ social infrastructure in Waterloo Region's 2025 Vital Signs® Report:
https://ow.ly/F7zm50ZaFYM
Learn more about the impact libraries are having on our communities’ social infrastructure in Waterloo Region's 2025 Vital Signs® Report:
https://ow.ly/F7zm50ZaFYM
June 11, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Did you know? Libraries remain among the most used community spaces in Waterloo Region, despite changing use during the pandemic.
Learn more about the impact libraries are having on our communities’ social infrastructure in Waterloo Region's 2025 Vital Signs® Report:
https://ow.ly/F7zm50ZaFYM
Learn more about the impact libraries are having on our communities’ social infrastructure in Waterloo Region's 2025 Vital Signs® Report:
https://ow.ly/F7zm50ZaFYM
Community is built, not in grand gestures, but in brief, passing moments. Not through declarations, but through accumulation: small acknowledgments threaded over time into something that can hold weight. time.com/article/2026...
In Defense of Saying Hello
A hello is a small risk. It is also a small act of faith—that the person passing you is not a threat, but a neighbor you haven’t met yet, writes Stacey Lee.
time.com
May 22, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Community is built, not in grand gestures, but in brief, passing moments. Not through declarations, but through accumulation: small acknowledgments threaded over time into something that can hold weight. time.com/article/2026...
Play doesn’t end at childhood so why do our cities think it does? open.substack.com/pub/nifplay/...
Play Doesn't End at Childhood. So Why Do Our Cities Think It Does?
Author Maxwell Hartt on designing communities where play — and people — can flourish at every age
open.substack.com
May 9, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Play doesn’t end at childhood so why do our cities think it does? open.substack.com/pub/nifplay/...
Must read article about third places www.pps.org/article/what...
What is a Third Place? Beyond the Buzzword to True Social Connection
We explore why third places are more important than ever for fostering friendship, supporting civic life, and even promoting our health.
www.pps.org
April 25, 2026 at 2:26 AM
Must read article about third places www.pps.org/article/what...
Just because placemaking may have (currently) lost its meaning doesn’t mean the practice isn’t still both effective and essential to creating places that support community and commerce. www.pps.org/article/plac...
Placemaking Is Dead, Long Live Placemaking!
Max Musicant and Shina Shayesteh make a case that the term “placemaking” needs to be reclaimed as a holistic, ongoing approach to creating meaningful, community-centered places.
www.pps.org
April 6, 2026 at 1:10 PM
Just because placemaking may have (currently) lost its meaning doesn’t mean the practice isn’t still both effective and essential to creating places that support community and commerce. www.pps.org/article/plac...
When we rush through daily transactions, we miss out on the emotional boost that comes from even a moment of genuine connection. A simple greeting or smile turns a transaction into an interaction, reintroducing the human element that modern life so often strips away. medium.com/reimagining-...
The Science of Small Encounters
Research shows that a diversity of casual interactions can boost our happiness. Public spaces can help them happen.
medium.com
March 26, 2026 at 2:55 AM
When we rush through daily transactions, we miss out on the emotional boost that comes from even a moment of genuine connection. A simple greeting or smile turns a transaction into an interaction, reintroducing the human element that modern life so often strips away. medium.com/reimagining-...
Social interactions with strangers not only matter, but may actually be among the most transcendent parts of public life. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
Why Loving Moments With Strangers Carry Lasting Benefits
New research finds that connecting with strangers not only boosts your mood—it helps build a kinder, more cooperative society.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
February 27, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Social interactions with strangers not only matter, but may actually be among the most transcendent parts of public life. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
Building local friendships requires enough repeated interactions with former strangers to make meeting up a natural next step. Spending more time in our communities gives us time for those repeated interactions. www.linkedin.com/pulse/togeth...
Together, we can cultivate communities that support stronger relationships (and joy)
Now is the time. We are the people.
www.linkedin.com
February 27, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Building local friendships requires enough repeated interactions with former strangers to make meeting up a natural next step. Spending more time in our communities gives us time for those repeated interactions. www.linkedin.com/pulse/togeth...
The quiet scaffolding that holds the place together open.substack.com/pub/lenispoo...
What We Keep Doing Anyway
On care, persistence, and the quiet work that holds us together.
open.substack.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:13 PM
The quiet scaffolding that holds the place together open.substack.com/pub/lenispoo...
5 ways to get closer to your community
It may take a village, but it means we need to be villagers. www.npr.org/2026/01/30/n...
It may take a village, but it means we need to be villagers. www.npr.org/2026/01/30/n...
Want to be part of a village? You might need to get out of your comfort zone
If you've always dreamed of having a village but feel disconnected from your community, try these five tips. Plus: We want to hear from you. Tell us how you cultivate community where you live.
www.npr.org
January 30, 2026 at 1:08 PM
5 ways to get closer to your community
It may take a village, but it means we need to be villagers. www.npr.org/2026/01/30/n...
It may take a village, but it means we need to be villagers. www.npr.org/2026/01/30/n...
The paradox of convenience: it promises more time, more ease, more freedom, but often delivers the opposite. The more we optimize, the more we isolate. open.substack.com/pub/israanas...
A good life is inconvenient.
We need to escape the cult of convenience
open.substack.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:17 PM
The paradox of convenience: it promises more time, more ease, more freedom, but often delivers the opposite. The more we optimize, the more we isolate. open.substack.com/pub/israanas...
To form and sustain friendships, use “velvet hooks," the soft links that connect friends to one another. They can be anything from physical proximity to shared interests that naturally bring people together.
www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/pos...
www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/pos...
How to make – and keep – friends - The Washington Post
Friendship is vital for our health and happiness, but we don’t always prioritize it. Today, we revisit advice from The Optimist’s Maggie Penman on how to find connection.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:33 PM
To form and sustain friendships, use “velvet hooks," the soft links that connect friends to one another. They can be anything from physical proximity to shared interests that naturally bring people together.
www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/pos...
www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/pos...
Cultural norms and everyday actions strengthen everyday interactions. Without people organizing activities, checking in on one another, and creating reasons to come together, even the most thoughtfully designed spaces will fall short of their potential. generations.asaging.org/why-where-yo...
Why Where You Live Is Crucial for Social Health - ASA Generations
How our communities and local relationships can foster connection and social health, a pillar of health, well-being and longevity.
generations.asaging.org
January 22, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Cultural norms and everyday actions strengthen everyday interactions. Without people organizing activities, checking in on one another, and creating reasons to come together, even the most thoughtfully designed spaces will fall short of their potential. generations.asaging.org/why-where-yo...
The sitcom friendship fantasy is exactly that: a fantasy www.self.com/story/friend...
The Core ‘Friend Group’ Is a Myth—and It’s Making Us Feel Bad About Ourselves
A tight crew that does everything together isn’t that common, and it’s unrealistic for many of us.
www.self.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:21 AM
The sitcom friendship fantasy is exactly that: a fantasy www.self.com/story/friend...
The Third Place Belonging Test open.substack.com/pub/moregood...
A Tale of Two Social Clubs
What Real Hospitality Feels Like, and Why People Don't Stay Where They Don't Belong
open.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 11:53 PM
The Third Place Belonging Test open.substack.com/pub/moregood...
We have fewer places to practice being human together, and so the effort required to do so increases. open.substack.com/pub/kasperbe...
Everyone wants a village, but no one wants to be a villager.
There is a paradox quietly eating away at contemporary life, and you have likely felt it yourself.
open.substack.com
January 13, 2026 at 1:37 AM
We have fewer places to practice being human together, and so the effort required to do so increases. open.substack.com/pub/kasperbe...
LOVE this article about spaces in which to hang out. Can we get the lanuage right, though, please? It’s third PLACE, not space. The distinction is academic, to be sure, but can we respect their different intellectual roots? www.thestar.com/opinion/when...
Shawn Micallef: When Toronto is your office, finding places to sit and work becomes a part-time passion
Called "third spaces" by urban planners — not work and not home, but for recreation and other activities — they include libraries, parks, community centres but also places where you
www.thestar.com
January 4, 2026 at 3:24 PM
LOVE this article about spaces in which to hang out. Can we get the lanuage right, though, please? It’s third PLACE, not space. The distinction is academic, to be sure, but can we respect their different intellectual roots? www.thestar.com/opinion/when...
Creating socially vibrant streets requires more than physical redesign; it calls for honoring what exists, understanding community identity, and creating new ways for people to connect. urbanland.uli.org/belonging-by...
Belonging by Design: The Social Power of Pedestrian-First Streets
London is one of many cities rethinking its car-first orientation and embracing a more holistic vision of urban life rooted in social connection. Car-free and car-light streets are most successful whe...
urbanland.uli.org
December 17, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Creating socially vibrant streets requires more than physical redesign; it calls for honoring what exists, understanding community identity, and creating new ways for people to connect. urbanland.uli.org/belonging-by...
Two distinct, diverging paths are emerging on how to address the loneliness crisis: one in finding companionship in code, the other in community. There may be a third way: AI can help pair people together to meet in person www.businessinsider.com/doctors-pres...
Your doctor wants you to party
Why your next doctor's visit may include a prescription to join a book club or go to a party.
www.businessinsider.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Two distinct, diverging paths are emerging on how to address the loneliness crisis: one in finding companionship in code, the other in community. There may be a third way: AI can help pair people together to meet in person www.businessinsider.com/doctors-pres...
If loneliness is an epidemic, belonging is the medicine. But belonging isn’t built in a day. It happens in moments. www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-...
The Loneliness Epidemic Is Worse Than You Think
We’re living through a loneliness epidemic that’s reshaping both our minds and our bodies.
www.psychologytoday.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:37 AM
If loneliness is an epidemic, belonging is the medicine. But belonging isn’t built in a day. It happens in moments. www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-...
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...