Rooftop Revival

Heineken® has unveiled Rooftop Revival, a new campaign ideated by creative agency LePub, where forgotten urban spaces are transformed into hubs of social connection – challenging the trend of productivity-first city living and giving people a fresh space to socialise.

From above, cities look bustling and connected – but on the ground, urban isolation is real. From lifestyle shifts and work-life imbalance to the isolating pull of digital life and shrinking size of homes, citydwellers everywhere are finding it harder to meaningfully connect: leading to a proximity paradox.

In fact, new research* has shown more than half (57%) of citydwellers in London, Seoul, Tokyo, New York, Paris and Sydney often feel lonely, and some 33% experience feelings of isolation weekly or more despite living in some of the world's most densely populated areas – a figure that rises to a massive 47% for the Gen Z and Millennials surveyed. A third of adults (35%) say that their city does not encourage social interactions – with New York (66%), Seoul (49%) and Paris (49%) ranking lowest. Moreover, one in three (30%) say they have only met someone new outside of work once or twice in the past 6 months.

Seoul, with its fast-paced culture and soaring skyline, exemplifies the paradox. 53% of Seoulites say their city is designed for work and productivity rather than socialising and connecting, and 37% say there are too few social spaces. But when viewed from above, Seoul has one of the highest proportions of flat rooftop space in world cities – many of which are painted green.

To help Seoulites bridge the gap between being physically close but feeling socially disconnected, Heineken® stepped in by elevating forgotten areas of the city with a series of rooftop events led by some of Korea’s most creative curators. The location of each event was dropped from space via satellite imagery, highlighting where the naturally green canvas had been punctuated with a red star pinpointing an unused urban space ready for revival. Seoulites were challenged to track down these stars across the city, where they discovered rooftops transformed into lively new venues for conversation, shared experiences, and of course, a cold beer.

Over 8,000 people applied to attend the events and across three days, Seoulites connected at an intimate set from DINO, singer of K-Pop icon SEVENTEEN, a hands-on design workshop with contemporary artist Cha Inchul, and an interactive food tasting with celebrated chef Cho SeoHyeoung.