GP 68: Housing as Social Infrastructure: with Ofri Earon of Neighborhood Lab

Ofri Earon is an architect, urban planner, and the founder and director of Neighborhood Lab, a Copenhagen based strategic advisory working on social impact in housing and neighbourhood design. Her career began in Amsterdam, working on the transformation of the Bijlmermeer, before a PhD in social sustainability in residential areas led her to see housing as something far bigger than shelter.In this conversation, Ofri makes the case for treating housing as social infrastructure, arguing that where and how people live shapes their life chances as much as their income does. She explains why social issues can't be solved within the boundaries of a single property, and why neighbourhood, not building, has to be the unit of design. The conversation moves through governance as the often invisible work of aligning private investors, housing associations and residents around shared goals, and through density, where she draws on Copenhagen's courtyard model to show how closely packed housing can still support genuine community.The conversation also includes a personal reflection from Ofri on leaving her own neighbourhood of Vesterbro for a larger family home. "I just really loved living there," she says, a candid illustration of how deeply the places we live shape our sense of identity.In this episode:Why housing should be measured as social infrastructure, not just as shelterWhy neighbourhood scale, not building scale, is where social impact is actually createdThe role of governance in preventing "us and them" dynamics between residentsWhat Copenhagen's courtyard model teaches about density done wellWhy engagement and listening to residents has to be a continuous process, not a one off consultationA personal reflection on identity, place, and what's lost when you leave a neighbourhood you love