Building Happiness, a new collection of writings on architecture, concludes that the connect between beauty and happiness is unfounded.
"Building Happiness: Architecure to Make You Smile is much more skeptical of architecture's ability to make us happy than last year's widely-read book on the same subject, Alain de Botton's The Architecture of Happiness.
That's because while de Botton waxes poetic, the contributors to Building Happiness look to the empirical record-which, apparently, just doesn't show a strong link between architectural aesthetics and happiness. It's a difficult pill to swallow. As Jeremy Till, dean of architecture at the University of Westminster, says, "The association of beauty with happiness is one of those platitudes that have been passed unthinkingly from one architectural generation to another," and it's easy to see why. The idea that we can shape our psyches by shaping our buildings seems both comforting and intuitive."
FULL STORY: Book Review: Building Happiness
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
Podcast: Addressing the Root Causes of Transit Violence
Deploying transit police is a short-term fix. How can transit agencies build sustainable safety efforts?
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.