Happy and Healthy Cities

Dear Colleagues,

Cities are engines of economic progress. But they also shape conditions for social capital and human well-being. The role of cities in modern times has become more prominent as a result of the world-wide rise in urbanisation, which has induced the rise of more and bigger cities (the so-called ‘New Urban World’). Clearly, cities are also under stress, seen from the perspective of poverty, environmental quality or crime. Cities in the ‘urban century’ (UN) are a melting pot of conflicting interests.

In recent years, we have witnessed a rising interest in ‘happy cities’. These are cities which have created favourable conditions (e.g., good quality of life, attractive neighbourhoods, accessible public space, community feeling) that are a stimulus for residents’ happiness. Interesting examples can  be found in the ‘geography of happiness’, the ‘economics of happiness’, the ‘social psychology of happiness’, and so forth. The quantitative study of ‘happy cities’ is becoming a rich source of new ideas and conceptualisations on modern city life and deserves more prominent attention in the international literature.

In addition to ‘happy cities’, we also see an increasing popularity of ‘healthy cities’. These are cities which offer sound environmental conditions (e.g., liveability, air and water quality, green spaces, safe neighbourhoods, climate neutral production and consumption, virus-resistant cities) that favour individual and group well-being (mentally and physically). The recent literature shows a rising interest in the conditions for – and impacts of – healthy cities, often in relation to the emerging need for urban climate adaptation strategies.

The special issue of Sustainability on ‘Happy and Healthy Cities’ aims to generate a collection of evidence-based – preferably quantitative – studies on ‘Happy and Healthy Cities’. In addition to general critical review papers, the special issue welcomes original and cross-disciplinary papers, either as origin analytical case studies or as comparative studies, on the drivers and impacts of urban happiness and health. Policy studies addressing urban sustainability and resilience challenges in relation to happiness and health in cities deserves also a place in this special issue. Papers may address cities in both the developed and in the developing world.

Prof. Peter Nijkamp
Dr. Karima Kourtit
Dr. Marina Toger
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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