If the price of a warm community is to suffer a few moments of discomfort, I’ll take it.

Our city is busy and bustling with community events, third spaces, cultural festivals and mutual aid groups. So, why does it feel like people are siloed and disconnected?

There are some obvious culprits: social cohesion hasn’t recovered since the COVID-19 pandemic; add the cost-of-living and the weight of multiple, livestreamed global crises from climate disaster to starvation and genocide.

In 2022, less than half of Torontonians said they had many close family or friends, a drop of 11 per cent since 2018, according to Toronto Foundation’s 2023 Vital Signs report.

I consider myself lucky for having a tight-knit, active group of friends who live within walking distance of my apartment in Moss Park.

Yet, I still feel the ripples of the “loneliness epidemic” — making new friends in the city is hard, and feeling warmth and connectedness within a large community, like Toronto, can be even harder.

Turns out, friends are not enough for a fulfilling social life.

Your day-to-day interactions with neighbours, acquaintances, local shop owners and strangers matter just as much.

Beyond individual friendships, the Toronto Foundation report found that people who are more active in various social settings — such as volunteering, participating in group activities or getting involved in politics — have a higher number of close relationships than people who don’t participate.

This is where Toronto is lacking — whether that’s cultural differences, social awkwardness or an unwillingness to engage meaningfully with non-friends.

But again, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Our city has so much to offer, and if you look hard enough, you’re bound to find like-minded people at the intersection of your interests and values, or fulfill one of the many social needs you have.

• Drop a warm plate to your neighbour
• Hand down a tight sweater to a smaller acquaintance
• Stop by your local mom-and-pop shop to say hi when you don’t need anything

• Drop a warm plate to your neighbour
• Hand down a tight sweater to a smaller acquaintance
• Stop by your local mom-and-pop shop to say hi when you don’t need anything

Pro tip: Keep an eye on The Green Line’s stories and newsletters for our event curations, community callouts and third spaces guides. Sign up here to stay in the know.

How do you build community in the city? We want to know! Email us at hello@thegreenline.to or send us a DM on Instagram at @tglhelps.