The city is a space of promise and peril, community and individual. For much of human history, cities have been the nexus point for social, cultural, and economic trends.

Can urban planning, effective municipal management and the correct application of technological innovation enable cities to handle growing and increasingly unhappy populations?

While the happiness of residents wasn’t the driving motivation of urban planning in the past, the rise of connected urbanism placed new emphasis on people, their health, and how urbanism can improve lives.

From Barcelona’s superblocks to Norway’s sustainable urbanism, the city is now understood as a driver in people’s wellness, not just a place of commerce and cultural activity. 

The built environment can increase inclusion or promote exclusion. Would Paris or New York be as appealing to stroll around without their well-kept streets, public transportation systems, and benches? 

In a remarkably short time, the smartphone has dramatically transformed how we interact with our environment and ourselves. 

As the connections between cities deepen through trade, internet connectivity, and aviation, so does their wealth. But despite this progress, people feel less happy than ever before. 

How does a happy city come together? It means more than just proclaiming that everyone will be happy or even building new parks and pedestrian-friendly areas.

Most of the buzz around cities is centred on their rising populations. More and more people are moving to cities, and conservative forecasts predict the overwhelming majority of humanity will soon call a city home.

Can the built environment influence individual happiness? Research seems to say yes.