E99: The Environmental Domain of Friendships

The spaces we live in—our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and even digital worlds—shape not only how we live, but who we know. Environments create or constrain opportunities for connection, and over time, they influence the kinds of friendships we build.

In the environmental domain of friendships, Kirtly Jones, MD, and Katie Ward, PhD, explore how geography, mobility, and social infrastructure influence our ability to form and sustain friendships. From the “big sort” that clusters us into like-minded communities to the loss of public spaces that once bridged divides, the conversation asks what it means to make—and maintain—connection in an era of separation.