Public Designs that Spark Belonging and Community: Confluence, Resonance, Connection

Loneliness and disconnection are on the rise, but what if design could help us reconnect? This session brings an innovative, participatory experience to life: three award-winning public infrastructure designs from the Better Block Foundation’s Creating Connections competition, installed onsite for attendees to explore, interact with, and reimagine for their own communities. In addition to the physical installations, we will host a live panel featuring the three designers behind each project. Together, we’ll explore how thoughtful, human-centered design can serve as a catalyst for weaving stronger community ties. Each designer will share how their values, combined with the Better Block Creating Connections design prompts—public serendipity, empathy, spiritual connectedness, and honoring shared humanity—inspired new forms of belonging through their work. What if we could plant Seeds of Connection that keep growing long after the conference ends? Each design—The Connection Bench, Resonance, and Confluence—was created to spark human connection through simple, beautiful, scalable structures. Built under a Creative Commons license, these designs are free for communities to replicate and adapt, expanding connection beyond the conference walls. This experience is both a living installation and a collective call to action: weaving together creativity, community, and connection. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how public space can be a seedbed for belonging, fresh inspiration for reimagining their own communities, and a living example of how grassroots creativity can meet a universal human need: to feel seen, heard, and welcomed. Speakers: Draven Pointer Director of Productions, Better Block Foundation Nnenia Mazagwu Founder & Artist, Nnulo Adaeze Zac Feltoon Founder, Zac Feltoon Design Jordan Bowman Executive Director, Journeymen Triangle