Our lab collaborates with community partners and interdisciplinary researchers to explore how urban environments can better support social connection and community inclusion for marginalized groups. Through interdisciplinary research and community collaboration, we examine how cities can be reshaped to meet the needs of marginalized groups, including disabled individuals. Our goal is to generate actionable insights for inclusive planning and policy.
Social connection is critical for individuals and community wellbeing. Yet, disabled individuals often face barriers to meaningful interaction—barriers shaped in part by the design of our urban environments. Inaccessible infrastructure, fragmented support systems, and daily encounters with neglect or exclusion make navigating city life particularly challenging for disabled people.
Our interdisciplinary team within Small Cities Lab, spanning anthropology, architecture, and computational social psychology, investigates how urban spaces support or hinder the social connections and well-being of disabled individuals in small cities. By uncovering these dynamics, we aim to equip urban planners, public health officials, disability advocates, and the disabled community with tools to assess, reimagine, and advocate for more inclusive and connected urban living.
