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Abstract
Problem, research strategy, and findings: There is increasing interest in planning for healthy communities, but little is known about how planners can affect mental health and wellbeing in neighborhoods, although much is known about how planners can affect physical health through neighborhood design. In this review essay, we draw lessons from a cross-disciplinary set of studies to reveal how the neighborhood built environment may affect one aspect of residents' wellbeing: happiness. Providing residents access to open, natural, and green space may directly increase their happiness. Incorporating design features that allow for social interaction and safety also may promote residents' happiness.
Takeaway for practice: Planners have the capacity to contribute to greater opportunities for happiness in neighborhoods. Strategies include integrating happiness-related indicators into health impact assessments and employing a new, participatory neighborhood planning process, the Sustainability Through Happiness Framework.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Deirdre Pfeiffer
Deirdre Pfeiffer, AICP ([email protected]), is an assistant professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University. She researches housing strategies in the United States relevant to an aging and diversifying society.
Scott Cloutier
Scott Cloutier ([email protected]) is an assistant professor in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. He currently leads the Sustainable Neighborhoods for Happiness (SNfH) project, a multiyear research, teaching, and applied sustainability solutions effort to improve neighborhood wellbeing and the happiness of residents living within.