Can Placemaking Make Living Alone Feel Less Lonely?

A moment at Project House@1QRW

Hong Kong is changing — not just in skyline, but in household structure. More people than ever are living alone or in two-person households, and with that shift comes a quieter, less-discussed challenge: the loneliness that can come with solo living in a dense, fast-moving city.

On 24 March, onebite SOCIAL's Programme Director Stephanie Cheung joined a panel discussion at "Unlock: My Stories of Solo Connected Living", an exhibition organised by The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS). The conversation brought together perspectives from housing policy, frontline social work, and architecture — a rare and necessary cross-sector dialogue about how Hong Kong can better support its growing number of smaller households.

The dialogue ranged widely: from the structural realities of Hong Kong's current housing policy to the lived experiences that frontline social workers witness every day. Participants explored the challenges and unmet needs of solo and two-person households, and how architectural interventions — thoughtfully designed spaces — might meaningfully improve quality of life for these residents.

Stephanie contributed from a placemaking lens, asking a deceptively simple question: can the built environment do more to help people feel connected to their neighbours and communities?

Stephanie Cheung, onebite SOCIAL’s Programme Director, (4th from left) contributed to the dialogue about solo living from a placemaking perspective. She was joined

The Power of Everyday Spaces

When public and semi-public spaces are deliberately designed and actively managed, they can evolve into informal "community living rooms": places where neighbours begin to recognise each other's faces, exchange small gestures of support, and gradually build a sense of belonging.

This is not a theoretical proposition. It is the lived reality of Project House@1QRW in Sheung Wan, where Stephanie and her team have been working to transform the neighbourhood's shared spaces into just that — a place where solo residents are not invisible, but seen, welcomed, and connected.

Project House@1QRW, is a social impact award-winning project run by onebite SOCIAL. The community placemaking initiative in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, transforms shared neighbourhood spaces into informal gathering points where residents can connect, belong, and look out for one another.

Solo living is often framed as a lifestyle choice or a demographic trend. But behind the statistics are real people — elderly residents ageing without family nearby, young professionals navigating city life on their own, and others who simply find themselves without a strong local network. Placemaking cannot solve loneliness on its own, but it can create the conditions where connection becomes possible.

Learn more about Project House@1QRW: www.projecthouse1qrw.hk