In their 1997 book The City After the Automobile: An Architect’s Vision, Canadian architect Moshe Safdie and designer Wendy Kohn described the substance and quality of life of a city as a synthesis of economic, environmental, technological and demographic factors.
Changing any single factor — say, creating a park or paving over one — creates a resounding effect in peoples’ routines and helps or hinders an underrated urban quality: happiness.
BILD Edmonton Metro CEO Kalen Anderson, ’02 BA, ’04 MA, advocates for Alberta’s residential construction and land development industries. She was one of three panelists who shared insights on urban happiness during the 2024 Eric Geddes Lecture at the Alberta School of Business.
Joyful foundations
Joy may not seem like a pillar of city-building, but research shows that happy cities have better accessible transportation, more affordable housing and are home to ample green space.
Eight billion people make up our growing global population, with half of us living in cities. Urbanization is increasing, placing a bigger spotlight on cities that can, or can’t, deliver a blissful quality of life for the masses — which, Anderson explains, affects economic prosperity, innovation, reputation, cultural and social vibrancy, and tourism.
Anderson says that, as cities grow, it’s time to prioritize the projects that will make communities happier.
Basic needs first
Anderson’s co-panelist Murtaza Haider, professor of data science and real estate management at Toronto Metropolitan University, notes that fundamentally, a blissful city is one that makes the daily routines of life workable and takes care of the most vulnerable citizens.
“You can be working at a beach, and that’s beautiful, but as a minimum wage worker, that’s a recipe for unhappiness regardless of the jaw-dropping views,” says Haider.
“Proximity and exposure to green space only matters if your other basic needs have been met.”
Community connections
Once basic needs are met, “happiness tends to be based on achieving personal and collective goals that have required some form of commitment and responsibility,” Anderson explains.
“Happiness is not leisure, entertainment, simple diversions or convenience,” she says. “I think we get those concepts mixed up.”
While it’s difficult to quantify or assess personal happiness, Anderson suggests that people seeking happiness need to connect with and care for their community.
Tech isn’t everything
The future of urban renewal is often tied to the promise of technology-based solutions. Think AI-powered urban prototyping software and 3D-printed houses.
But Anderson cautions that it’s unlikely that technology will bring urban happiness in and of itself.
“We need to think past cities as systems of computers and networks of connections,” says Anderson.
She says that a focus on the promises of tech can lead to isolation and move cities away from their true nature as human habitats where social bonds are essential.
It’s in those connections that people can find purpose — and make a happy city.
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