Planning policies related to the economy and environment are easier to measure, but Hazel Borys asks, "how do we measure national happiness, well-being, and social capital as they relate to the way we plan our neighborhoods, towns and cities?”
"Wealth alone does not make for a happy and successful society," determined the Legatum Prosperity Index. "Happy citizens are produced as much by democracy, freedom, and entrepreneurial opportunity as they are by a growing economy." This index is one of the few, including the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, to track social capital and health. But cities like Vancouver and Bogota have begun exploring "spiritual urbanism" and "what more [cities] can do to provide for physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs."
Vancouver's Healing Cities initiative found, "[o]xytocin, the trust hormone, goes up with eye contact. We get a whole lot more of it while walking. Which is just the beginning of balm to the spirit fostered in walkable neighborhoods." Former Mayor Enrique Peñalosa, the leader of Bogota's urban happiness movement also argues for the importance of walkability to mental health: "There are a few things we can agree on about happiness. You need to fulfill your potential as a human being. You need to walk. You need to be with other people." With the expansion of its bus, bike, and pedestrian networks, Bogota's murder rates and traffic deaths have fallen.
There is currently no "Urban Happiness Index," laments Borys, but Vancouver's and Bogota's experiments in linking urban design to happiness show that, as Peñalosa says, "designing a city can be a very powerful means to generate happiness."
FULL STORY: Can cities help you forget your troubles? C’mon, get happy!

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

EPA Awards $267 Million to Clean Up and Reuse Contaminated Sites
The EPA is investing the funds to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites nationwide, supporting economic growth, community revitalization, and environmental restoration.

Knoxville Dedicates $1M to New Greenway
The proposed greenway would run along North Broadway and connect to 125 miles of existing trails.

Philadelphia Launches ‘Speed Slots’ Traffic Calming Pilot
The project focuses on a 1.4-mile stretch of Lincoln Drive where cars frequently drive above the posted speed limit.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions