The Happy City

Chapter 1

The Academy of Urbanism

Steven Bee, chair of the Academy of Urbanism, tells us about the focus of this year’s conference: health, happiness and wellbeing and gives his interpretation of what happiness means

Chapter 2

Aarhus: the 'city of smiles'

Working as a city architect in Aarhus, Denmark's second largest city, Stephen Willacy has put his ideas about creating a happy city into practice. He explains how he and his team have designed the 'City of Smiles'.

Chapter 3

Designing a healthy city

For Rachel Toms, well-planned cities are about more than parking spaces and decent bars (as important as these are). As leader of the Active by Design programme of the UK's Design Council, Rachel explains the impact of urban design on public health.

Chapter 4

Charles Montgomery and 'The Happy City'

Inspired by Enrique Peñalosa, the radical former Mayor of Bogotá, Charles Montgomery spent a decade researching how cities affect our happiness. He wrote up his findings in The Happy City and was the keynote speaker at this year’s conference.

Chapter 5

HS2 and well-connected cities

Sadie Morgan has recently been appointed Design Chair of High Speed Two, the proposed high-speed rail connection between London and Birmingham. She tells us why good design is crucial if the project is to reach its potential.