The Trust Experiments [JAN.19]

EXPECTED RELEASE JANUARY 19th, 2027
THIS IS A PRE-ORDER ITEM; RELEASE DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE/DELAYS

Why does everyone feel so disconnected? An acclaimed urbanist and design thinker looks to our physical and digital environments for answers—and solutions

Levels of trust are collapsing around the world, as we spend more and more time alone. Our isolation has stark consequences for both individuals and democracy: disconnected people are less healthy and less likely to succeed, while low-trust societies are more susceptible to polarization and inequality.

In The Trust Experiments, acclaimed urbanist Charles Montgomery shows that our loneliness is not our fault: it’s been designed right into our society. It’s in the single-family homes that discourage neighbourly contact. It’s in the car-dependent infrastructure that makes commutes solo affairs. It’s in the online algorithms that incentivize angry reactions over reasoned debate. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

From the baugruppen of Germany to the urban villages of Vancouver to the UTOPIAs of Mexico, Montgomery takes us into intentional communities that have been designed to promote mingling, mutual aid and bridge-building. He visits online activists from Taiwan to Silicon Valley who are using consensus-based algorithms to debunk misinformation and strengthen trust. Drawing on these examples, he shows how we can redesign our housing, cities and online spaces for connection and apply these lessons to our own lives in ways big and small.

Hardcover | 384 pages | 6.3" x 9.35"