{"id":17,"date":"2023-03-30T05:16:25","date_gmt":"2023-03-30T05:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eenzaamheidendebuurt.be\/?page_id=17"},"modified":"2026-06-30T15:27:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T15:27:25","slug":"the-new-umoma-opens-its-doors-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eenzaamheidendebuurt.be\/en\/","title":{"rendered":"A Lonely Planet?\nAddressing loneliness from a neighbourhood perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Does the neighbourhood you live in make you more lonely or rather less lonely? What aspects of a neighbourhood reinforce feelings of loneliness? How can we combat loneliness from a neighbourhood perspective?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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With the research project A Lonely Planet <\/em>HIVA - KU Leuven, Centre of Expertise Care & Well-being, Thomas More and the SARLAB, VUB seek answers to these questions by investigating the relationship between the neighbourhood and loneliness.<\/strong> This is relevant because our research shows that 37% of all adults in Flanders<\/strong> felt lonely<\/strong> in 2024. These figures are worrying because loneliness is strongly linked to numerous health problems, increasing healthcare costs and a lower quality of life<\/strong>. Moreover, there are also significant differences <\/strong>in loneliness between different municipalities <\/strong>in Belgium.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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To date, very little is known about the impact of physical and social neighbourhood characteristics (e.g. public parks, public transport, access to housing) on loneliness. The A Lonely Planet research project is innovative because it specifically addresses the different dimensions of loneliness (emotional, social and existential) and of neighbourhood (physical and social), in adults of all ages. This is crucial because loneliness interventions need to be tailored to the specific dimensions of loneliness and the unique needs of the individual and the neighbourhood.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Based on the research findings, the research team formulates specific recommendations for both Flemish and local policy actors, and develops practical evidence-based tools to combat loneliness from a neighbourhood perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Strategic Basic Research (SBO<\/a>) was made possible by the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project duration:\n
December 2022 - December 2026<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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With this project, we explore the relationship between the neighbourhood where people live and loneliness.<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

More specifically, we focus on 3 sub-research questions<\/strong> during the four-year research project:<\/p>\n\n\n\n