This year’s theme – the importance of good neighbours and communities – couldn’t be more timely or welcome. While housing policy often focuses on bricks, mortar and the number of homes delivered, the real foundation of a thriving housing system is community.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen a shift in the sector’s priorities. Community engagement is no longer something we also do, but something that has moved from the wings and into centre stage. Community is a core part of how we design, deliver, and sustain housing. At Hillcrest, we’ve embraced this evolution wholeheartedly, recognising that good housing is about more than just shelter – It’s about connection, wellbeing, and the everyday interactions that turn streets into neighbourhoods.

Great communities are the bedrock that positive neighbourhood experiences are built on. They offer informal support networks, promote safety, and contribute to mental and physical wellbeing. We’ve seen this firsthand in countless examples – from neighbours rallying during lockdowns to organise food deliveries and check on more vulnerable neighbours, to residents coming together to create shared green spaces. These acts of neighbourliness may seem small, but their impact is huge.

At Hillcrest, we consistently work towards a community-first approach. Our Engagement Team has undergone a major transformation, overhauling from traditional paper-based surveys to a dynamic, digital CX-feedback platform that offers more ways for communities to have their say. With click-through rates reaching 70% and response rates soaring to 38%, we’re not just collecting data - we’re hearing real voices, real stories, and real needs. This is a dramatic improvement from the previous 5%. Rather than being purely data-driven, this new approach put dialogue at the heart of engagement. For us, every opportunity to improve how people talk to us about the places they call home is a step forward.

Just as we’ve transformed how we listen to our tenants, we’re also reshaping how we build for them. Our housebuilding strategy reflects the same community-first ethos, with tenure-blind developments that bring together social rent, mid-market rent, and private sale homes in integrated, inclusive neighbourhoods. This approach helps dismantle outdated perceptions of affordable housing and fosters environments where people from all walks of life can live side by side, share experiences, and build lasting connections.

Rather than looking for the easiest ground, we’ve instead pushed our horizons, developing in areas not traditionally associated with affordable housing, such as Dundee’s waterfront and rural Aberdeenshire. These locations offer new ways of living and open up opportunities for tenants to become part of vibrant, existing communities. It’s a powerful way to challenge stereotypes and redefine the horizons of what affordable housing is and how it fits into local communities.

When we undertake developments, the numbers and bigger picture is only one consideration. Thinking of the community and keeping things local is where a lot of our focus goes. From work experience initiatives and partnerships with nearby schools, the creation of green spaces and pedestrian-friendly zones, through to using local sub-contractors and materials as much as possible, we design places that we hope complements the community and adds to and boosts it. 

So, as we celebrate this milestone Scottish Housing Day, I’d like to call on housing professionals, policymakers, and residents alike to continue investing into one of the things that matter most – community. Let’s champion genuine neighbourliness. Let’s keep aiming to develop communities where people matter, and where neighbours are there for each other. Where looking out of your window or stepping out of the door brings feelings of pride and welcomeness. Because when we build homes with people at the heart, we’re not just constructing buildings – we’re shaping futures.

• John Alexander, is the chief executive of Hillcrest.