The Happy City Initiative in Bristol is one of the most well-known wellbeing research centres in the world. The Happy City Index uses national data sources to score England’s cities across 60 indicators of mental prosperity, such as housing, health and transport, and evaluates the “city conditions” that promote wellbeing. Attempts at measuring happiness are typically “too broad” and fail to “capture people’s sense of belonging, autonomy or vitality,” claims Happy City researcher Dr Sam Wren-Lewis. Despite the caveats, senior figures in the city are eager to integrate happiness metrics into Bristol’s vision. Happy City CEO Liz Zeidler has claimed that, within reason, she takes “no moral high ground” on which businesses the organisation works with.

Source: The Guardian November 17, 2016 07:00 UTC