Photo of a pop-up engagement event in a public park. Chalk letters on the ground read, "What do you think?" There is a table set up with free food and snacks, and several tents to provide shade

Community engagement is failing us. Here’s how to fix it

Photo of a pedestrian street in Logrono, Spain. The street is straight and narrow, lined with 3-4 storey buildings with restaurants and shops at ground level and housing with balconies above. People walk along the street. On the right side, there is a patio with umbrellas.

Walkable Spanish streets show what’s possible for North America

Photo from behind of a group of kids walking together along a street in the Bloemhof neighbourhood of Rotterdam. The street is lined with 3-storey brick buildings

How listening to kids leads to better urban design

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Stories

Illustration with colourful cartoon people showing three different social activities. One illustration shows four neighbours playing volleyball. The second shows two neighbours having a chat over coffee. The third shows four neighbours connecting remotely over phone and laptop screens

Seven lessons for implementing social activities in rental housing

Photo rendering showing the internal courtyard planned for Vienna House. The space is warm, with trees, string lights, and balconies above. in the courtyard, people gather and eat together around picnic tables

Happy, healthy tenants benefit landlords, too

Photo of 6 people standing/squatting side by side and colouring in a large horizontal mural on a wall. The mural says "Westridge" in large block letters, and includes illustrations of people, buildings, flowers, bikes and more.

How an 11 year-old helped connect neighbours through the pandemic

Photo of the main street in Fernwood, Victoria, BC. Quiet streets are lined with local shops painted in different colours. At the end of the street there is a building with a steeple, and a small public area with benches

How standards can enable more diversity in urban design

Colourful graphic illustration showing people living together in multi-unit buildings. People are doing activities such as sharing tea, dancing, playing ping pong, gardening, and more.

“Living Together” workshop recap: Key elements for social connection in multi-unit housing

Fostering community in a temporary home: Celebrating National Indigenous People’s Day at New Beginnings modular housing

Photo of a "parklet", where a street parking spot has been turned into a public seating area. There is a shipping container with windows and one wall removed, to allow people to sit undercover, sheltered from the weather while viewing the street. The parklet has a wooden deck, accessible ramp, benches, planter boxes, and yellow metal chairs. The shipping container is painted with Indigenous art.

Learning from community housing movements: Unlocking the social potential of parking spaces

Learning from community housing movements: Transforming corridors into social spaces

Photo of residents hanging out in the little mountain cohousing lobby. An older woman reads a story to a young kid on an airmchair. in the background, three kids play with couch cushions

Learning from community housing movements: The social potential of multi-unit building lobbies

Learning from community housing movements: Six principles for building happier homes

A roof is not enough: Rapid housing solutions must prioritize dignity and trust

Photo of several students painting colourful curb extensions on the road with a geometric pattern of red, yellow, orange and blue. Behind, a car passes by on the road with a girl looking out the window at the painters and smiling.

Students for safer streets: Learning from the new generation of activists

It’s time to re-happy the city!

Designing happy cities with Mitchell Reardon

Can we design pandemic-proof cities?

Building bridges at a distance

Renewing Happy City’s commitments to anti-racism

The pandemic is changing the way we use city spaces — for good

Alone, together

Join us to support our neighbours in the Downtown Eastside

We can’t solve affordability while ignoring wellbeing

Podcast: Paty Rios on Women-Led Cities

Why math and rigid rules aren’t enough to build great cities

The psychological tricks designers use to make cities happier places

Happy City wellbeing framework: Equity

Can we design more trusting public spaces?

Cities for women, by women

Walking is economic growth

Can technology make our commutes happier?

What makes a beautiful place?

A recipe for urban happiness

Historic El Mirador building faces the wrecking ball: Thoughts on designing for sociability

Escalator wars: The walkers vs. the standers

Nine ways we can use the power of cities to boost happiness

Are you a happy city hero?

Architecture helped me heal. So I helped create a new guide to fight loneliness

How do you help an entire nation build happier communities?

Infusing equity into the World Happiness Report

Will Vancouver’s ambitious new housing strategy make the city healthier and happier?

Designed for wellbeing: Paddington Central

Press release: Public space improvements can boost trust among strangers

Tackling the crisis of social disconnection

Happy City is helping Dubai achieve its 2021 plan

An ode to women in the happy city movement

Cairo transport advocates create a grassroots transit map

The Happy City Experiment with Q Ideas

Charles talks towers and sociability on the TV show 26 Minutes

Happy City interview in Vienna

What is the relationship between science, art and urban design?

The urbanist pope

Happy Hours with Happy Cities: July 9 at the Museum of Vancouver

How can we make Vancouver happier?

Are some streets kinder than others? A social test in Seattle

Fixing Our Cities: A CBC National Feature

Happy City workshop with the World Health Organization

Testing social trust in Mexico

TIME Magazine Happy City survey launches

What is urban experimentalism?

Why cities need streets activists now

Talking Happy City with Streetfilms

Choosing the Happy City

Mysteries of the empathic city

Machines for happiness

Hug a stranger, change your city: A social trust photo album

Upcycled urbanism: Street hacking with MOV

On the sunny side of the street

Three stories, one message: We can all use design for happiness

A night of social experimentation at the Guggenheim

Secrets of the world’s happiest cities: Excerpt from The Guardian UK

Emotions in place: Why do visitors to New York have a different physical reaction to streets than locals?

Trust: Experimenting with the invisible ingredient for thriving cities

Vancouver plans for social connections

Airport altruism: Chasing happiness on the way to somewhere else

Green, grey and the good city: Learning from Berlin

Are apartment residents more lonely and less trusting? A Vancouver Foundation study says yes

Stories

Community engagement is failing us. Here’s how to fix it

Walkable Spanish streets show what’s possible for North America

How listening to kids leads to better urban design

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