2020 was definitely my year for well-designed places. It was the focus of my work for the better half of the year, and led me to so many exciting discoveries, which I continue to share about on this website. Beyond some of my personal 2020 highlights (below), I’ve concluded this post with a series of …
On the Significance of the Subjective Component My Hello Happy design research grew from an instinctive recognition of the spatiality of places. Given this, I believe that urban designers and planners have the ability to manipulate the qualities of a place with the intent of positively influencing the sensations, perceptions, emotions, and decision-making of people encountering that …
We’ve all done it. As the new year approaches, we set resolutions with every intention of succeeding, only to let sight of our goals fade slowly (or immediately, for some). And yet, we repeat the process every time. The fresh start effect of the new year encourages us overlook failed resolutions of years past. So …
What we make makes us, too.What we shape shapes us, too.So, the question, my friend, I pose to you, Is how the city you live in lives in you…And how, as you draft your intent and craft its manifest, Will you shape our image in this world And not the world in our image. Extracted …
While the virus impacts our physical health, there’s an underlying crisis which must be reckoned with.
Last month, we talked about defining happiness. Among a handful of definitions, we pulled Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky’s definition out as the best. Happiness refers to “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.” Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky The strength and appeal of Dr. Lyubomirsky’s …
Putting words to this fundamental human experience may be challenging, but it’s not impossible.
It’s the most popular class at Yale University, and even more popular now that people can enroll for free online. What does the Science of Well-Being teach us about planning cities?
Recently, Baltimore City launched their Design for Distancing competition seeking creative, tactical, and modular ideas for safely reopening businesses and public spaces during the Covid-19 pandemic. Below are four submissions from Hello Happy Design! The Rest-ibule Each winter, little vestibules pop-up across the city—protruding beyond a restaurant’s façade, insulating the entrance. Interestingly, these temporary vestibules …
A Letter About Life, After 3 Years of My Own Adversity and Loss The idea for Hello Happy began taking root last September. Founder Megan Oliver heard a talk from happiness researcher Shawn Achor just days after learning of her dad’s terminal cancer diagnosis. For the years leading up to this news, she had been …
