Report: Hej!

Research has shown that social connections, even with people we do not know personally, have a significant impact on our sense of happiness.

The project Hej! (Hello) was conducted to explore how the design of public space can be informed by human social behaviors. The project was part of ArkDes Open Call 2021, under the theme “Shared Spaces and Interspaces”. 
What prompts us to act with kindness and attentiveness in shared spaces? One behavior explored in the project was the act of greeting one another—simply saying hello.

Through a transdisciplinary collaboration between landscape architects from AJ Landskap ↗, behavioral strategists from Beteendelabbet ↗, and artist Gunilla Bandolin ↗, a shared method was developed to support social interaction through design. The project was carried out in four phases and concluded with a full-scale prototype at Riksdalertorget in Hägersten, Stockholm.
The final report compiles the project’s results and methodological development.