Well-Being and Urban Density

Dear Colleagues,

As cities grow in size and more and more people migrate to cities, problems relating to urban habitation are becoming increasingly urgent. To ameliorate the stressfulness of urban living, research around the psychology of well-being and happiness is growing in relevance and popularity. Within architectural sustainability research, there has also been increased attention towards designing for well-being with a particular emphasis on designing with access to nature and social interaction, providing intermediate spaces that are sheltered but connected to the outside and open to chance meetings.

Interestingly, the advent of the air-conditioning window unit by Carrier in 1951 was spurred by an attempt to "convince consumers that the air conditioner had made porches, basements, attics, and movable windows obsolete" (Arsenault, 1984). The ubiquitous box that followed has robbed architecture of all refinements—"porches, basements, attics and movable windows", amongst others— that made buildings more than just usable space but rather livable places.

Current trends in this field are not only bringing back some of these refinements but are also increasing our understanding of such features and engendering innovation. Innovations such as movable facades, smart buildings, and new materials are enabling us to do more than just bring back the old. This would include the consideration of designs for living, of social-psychological-physical existence, beyond a single building and the enclosed interior, for example, groups of buildings and in-between spaces on the neighborhood scale to the precinct level.

Better computational modeling software programs are enabling us to better predict how these innovations might work. Some researchers are even questioning the standard of static environmental comfort and are proposing a more dynamic and adaptive standard. Digital design and information management mean that we can explore more options towards more accommodating designs that are also more efficient and sustainable for short- and long-term well-being. This Special Issue seeks to benchmark this new direction in architecture, shaped around designing to the compactness of future cities.

Dr. Joo Hwa Bay
Dr. Boon Lay Ong
Guest Editors

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