Happiness and the built environment

Abstract

There is growing interest in the physical and natural settings that support physical, social and psychological wellbeing and happiness. In fact, the World Happiness Report has become especially relevant in emerging markets, keen to balance economic growth with social development and environmental sustainability. Matched with population growth in cities and demand for new urban development, this presents an opportunity for public and private sector actors to consider how the built environment, and its associated polices and services, might be harnessed to enable improved happiness. This chapter will briefly describe the key factors which impact the subjective wellbeing measure used to rank countries in theWorld Happiness Report and explore relationships which exist between some of these factors and the built environment. Further, this chapter includes interviews highlighting the work of private sector companies which have embraced the United Arab Emirate's aspiration for happiness and which have set wellbeing objectives for their built spaces.