What Design Professionals Stand to Learn from the 2023 World Happiness Report This piece was originally posted on the website of landscape architecture firm, Mahan Rykiel Associates. Imagine you are standing before a ladder with ten rungs, each step representing a degree of satisfaction with life. At the ground, you’re at the lowest point; but …
Do you love where you live? If you do, then I just have to ask . . . “If you love it so much, why don’t you marry it?” If you think my question is facetious, you might be surprised to learn that in 2011, over 2,000 people gathered together in Durham, North Carolina, to …
Will You Be My Valentine? The Importance of Lovability in Places Where we Live Read More »
Are you living in a place of gratitude? “A place of gratitude”—ever heard a phrase like this? Yes, I understand it’s meant to be figurative, much in the same way I understand people aren’t typically talking about real spaces when advising that we “find your happy place.” But… What if gratitude could be found in …
What if Gratitude Could be Found in an Actual Place? Read More »
Today kicks off the American Planning Association’s 2021 National Planning Conference! I am thrilled to be co-presenting at this year’s conference with Tufts University professor and co-author of Cognitive Architecture, Dr. Justin Hollander. Here, you can find information and additional resources related to our session, Using Mental Health Considerations for Designing Places. Session Details: The …
Released on the International Day of Happiness (March 20th), the annual World Happiness Report offers an updated snapshot of the state of happiness across the globe. What was the theme of the 2021 report? Well, you probably already guessed it . . . The 2021 report marks the ninth edition of the World Happiness Report …
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 …
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 …
