How to build happy cities

By Susan M Boyce
July 08, 2016

Charles Montgomery is on a quest to increase happiness in the cities we live in. And make no mistake, his is not some vaguely defined self-help project, it’s a long-term undertaking based on solid, scientific research.

As principal and founder of the Vancouver-based company Happy City as well as author of a book by the same name, Montgomery travels the globe investigating what transforms a city from simply being a place to live into a great place to celebrate life. His findings are a surprise to many: when properly planned and designed, urban densification can actually make people, happier, healthier and more sane.

Social connections

Throughout history, it’s been well documented that having a strong social network of family and friends is health-giving. However, Montgomery’s research shows that even superficial contact with other human beings — talking to the person behind you in the bank line-up or waiting beside you at the crosswalk — increases happiness and health.

So how to build urban environments that foster greater opportunities for sociability? One of Montgomery’s favourite possibilities is to re-imagine apartment lobbies as communal greenhouses.

“I love this idea. It gets people talking to each other, it’s interesting to look at both from the inside and outside, and being exposed to nature is good for us. Studies have shown mice are smarter when they’re exposed to growing plants and dirt, and that adults who work in a natural environment live longer. Can you see the marketing campaign? This building won’t just make you smarter and happier, it could extend your life too.”

He’s also a fan of spreading a series of smaller amenities like gyms and lounge areas over multiple floors, rather than clumping them together in a single massive space on one level. He reasons that in this design, residents would more frequently run into the same neighbours and would thus be more likely to strike up a conversation. “At a subconscious level, if you think it’s unlikely you’ll ever see someone again, you often simply don’t make the effort.”

With townhomes increasingly considered the new single-family — complete with white picket fence — Montgomery’s team also took a look at how backyards and sociability intersect. Turns out the magic number for socialization is 10.6 feet. “It’s a ‘soft zone’ that allows you to chat spontaneously with people passing by without feeling obligated to invite them in or talk if you don’t feel like it.”

Eclectic delight

People are also happier on jumbled up street like Main— places where you’ll find coffee shops and micro-breweries rubbing shoulders with artists’ studio and boutique fashion shops — than they are on a street where sidewalk and buildings connect with a solid edge. The reason: solid edges tend to make people walk faster and engage with their surroundings or other people less.

Conversely, a street where eateries spill out onto patios, where bay windows are filled with changing retail displays, and where you’re suddenly engulfed in the natural perfumes of a florist’s wares encourage interaction. “You might pause to look and then catch someone’s eye who’s just done the same thing. Who knows, you might even have a flirtation while you’re both looking in the window,” Montgomery says with a distinctly mischievous grin.

As an example, he points to the difference between the sterile expanse of glass wall outside Whole Foods on Cambie at 7th in Vancouver and The Rise’s vibrant, lively ambiance just across the street. “Grosvenor, the company that developed The Rise, is a hero. When Home Depot approached them about leasing a large retail space, Grosvenor said ‘sure, but you’ll have to be on the second floor so there can be small retail and services at ground level’.”

Two wheelin’ it

Not surprisingly, Montgomery is a huge advocate of urban design trends which provide more alternatives to private vehicles — and the bicycle is right at the top of his alternative list. “People who are able to commute to work by bicycle report a much greater degree of happiness than any other form of transportation,” he says.

An award-winning author, urbanist and leader of transformative experiments, research and conversations about wellbeing in cities, Charles Montgomery examines the intersection between urban design and the emerging science of happiness. He counts the Guggenheim Museum, Futurewise, and Laboratorio para la Ciudad among his many global collaborations.

His core belief is summed up at thehappycity.com: “The life-shaping power of urban design isn’t always obvious. But design has huge consequences for people, the economy and the planet. The good news: the happy city, the green city and the low-carbon city are the same place, and everyone can help build it.”

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