Happy Cities

Some news: We've decided to release our award-winning Public Life Study tool today, for free! Download the tool today to get started: https://lnkd.in/gJ8N5SYA Why? We know intuitively that shared spaces are critical to our health and wellbeing. But we often lack the data to understand why a particular space is working or not, or whether it is truly inclusive of everyone in a community. Many years ago, we developed a unique Public Life Study tool to start answering these questions. In short, it offers a flexible, low-barrier method for community organizations, planners, and residents to measure changes in health, happiness, and inclusion in shared spaces. We spent years developing and refining the methodology, working with cities from Vancouver to Halifax to measure the impacts of big and small changes, like transforming a street block into a public plaza, or adding a summer events program to a shared space. But we haven’t yet seen impact we want to create. Our Public Life Studies have helped city staff tweak and improve public space projects. But it's not just cities who are doing this work. Many community organizations don't have the resources to hire researchers to assess the great work they are doing. They see impactful changes and hear positive feedback from community members. But funders—and municipalities—often want hard data before they will invest more in community-led projects. We’re releasing our method for free to help gather more evidence on wellbeing in #publicspaces, and to build the case for more placemaking. Because great public spaces are for everyone. #happycities #happycity #placesforpeople #publicspace #placemaking Evergreen Canada Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) Canadian Institute of Planners PlacemakingX Project for Public Spaces Social Life Project Placemaking Canada

What's the secret to happier, healthier communities? Often, it's pretty simple: Listen to the people who use city spaces—and support them to make changes. Leah Karlberg, RPP, MCIP and Emma Avery recently joined the Cities for Everyone webinar with Gil Penalosa to explore the power of #placemaking for building happier, healthier, more inclusive communities ✨ The session shares three inspiring stories of community-led change, featuring our work with the cities of New Westminster, Surrey, Lu'ma Native Housing Society, and Canada's Placemaking Community. Through these stories, we weave together evidence from Happy Cities research and the science of wellbeing. Stick around until the end to learn about free tools and resources for creating—and measuring the success of—social, shared spaces 🛠 Watch the recording here: https://lnkd.in/gJ8zZAZH

What does it mean to age in the right place? To stay healthy as we age, many resources recommend staying physically active, keeping up social connections, and learning new skills. These are good tips. But it's not always easy to keep up these habits on your own, especially if you live in a neighbourhood without places to gather in. What if our homes could make it easier to stay engaged in community, without having to go our of our way to meet someone new or join an activity? Our latest newsletter explores: https://lnkd.in/gpcDEQqj As always, you can join our newsletter community here! https://lnkd.in/e3tRQTMq

Places are stronger when they are shaped by community members themselves. A new publication from Canadian Urban Institute dives into placemaking stories and evidence from coast to coast, featuring community-led initiatives like gardens, markets, public space transformations, youth programs, and more! It also spotlights our Power of Placemaking work together with Canada's Placemaking Community and the Healthy Communities Initiative: https://lnkd.in/gM26ydn9 Explore the publication below!

Walking, rolling and using public transit are essential to our freedom and joy in mobility. Major cuts to transit mean fewer options to get around - especially for kids, youth and seniors - and more cars & congestion on our streets. No one wins with a 50% cut to Metro Van bus service.

📢 ✍ Register now! Discover best practices for strategic housing acquisition, community-led governance, and financial sustainability during a webinar featuring the North End Halifax (New Roots) Community Land Trust. Learn from: 🔹 Treno Morton, Executive Director, New Roots CLT 🔹 Houssam Elokda, Interim Board Member, New Roots CLT & Managing Principal, Happy Cities 🔹 Shekara Grant, Program Manager at the Centre, Community Housing Growth Fund 🗓️ Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025 ⏰ Time: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. AST 🔗https://lnkd.in/gR9BszVC _______ 📢 Inscrivez-vous dès maintenant! Découvrez les meilleures pratiques pour l'acquisition stratégique de logements, la gouvernance dirigée par la communauté et la durabilité financière lors d'un webinaire avec North End Halifax (New Roots) Community Land Trust. Apprenez de: 🔹 Treno Morton, Directeur général, New Roots CLT 🔹 Houssam Elokda, membre intérimaire du conseil d'administration, New Roots CLT et Directeur principal, Happy Cities 🔹 Shekara Grant, Chargée de programme au Centre, Fonds de croissance du logement communautaire 🗓️ Date: Jeudi 20 mars 2025 ⏰Heure: 13 h - 14 h HNA 🔗https://lnkd.in/gR9BszVC

Are you interested in gaining the tools for building social connections in multi-unit housing?👀 Madeleine Hebert, Senior Housing Specialist, at Happy Cities and Bruce Haden, Principal of Fluid Architecture, will be leading the educational session: “Tools for Building Social Connections in Multi-Unit Housing” at the #RAIC2025Conference in Montréal, QC. 🧡✨ This session will explore innovative tools for designing socially connected multi-unit housing communities, equipping architects with the knowledge to create strong, resilient communities for all. 🙌 Join Madeleine and Bruce’s session alongside over 55 education sessions at this year’s Conference on Architecture by registering today! Take advantage of our early bird registration discount 🐥🧡: https://ow.ly/NzGV50V8O8Y // Vous souhaitez acquérir les outils nécessaires à la création de liens sociaux dans les logements multirésidentiels? 👀 Madeleine Herbert, spécialiste principale du logement, chez Happy Cities et Bruce Haden, directeur de Fluid Architecture, animeront la séance de formation : « Outils pour créer des liens sociaux dans les logements multirésidentiels » lors de la Conférence #IRAC2025 à Montréal, au Québec. 🧡✨ Cette séance permettra de découvrir de nouveaux outils pour concevoir des logements multirésidentiels favorisant les liens sociaux. Les architectes disposeront ainsi des connaissances nécessaires pour créer des communautés dynamiques et résilientes pour tous. 🙌 Assistez à la séance de Madeleine et Bruce, qui fait partie des plus de 55 séances de formation présentées à la conférence de cette année. Inscrivez-vous dès aujourd’hui et profitez du rabais pour inscription hâtive 🐥🧡 : https://ow.ly/OghS50V8O8Z #RAIC2025 #SpeakerSpotlight #ContinuingEducation #Montréal #SocialConnections #MultiUnitHousing #HousingCommunities // #IRAC2025 #ConférencierVedette #FormationContinue #Montréal #ConnexionsSociales #LogementsMultirésidentiels #LogementsCommunautaires

Our homes are our sanctuaries—everyone needs a private place to recharge and rest amid the bustle of everyday life. Well-designed homes give people the space to decide how and when they engage with neighbours. When a home has good transitions between public and private spaces, such as a stoop or entryway, we feel safe, welcome, and connected. The safer we feel, the more likely we are to stay in one place for a long time, allowing us to build connections with familiar people and places in the neighbourhood. Download our new housing design toolkit with Hey Neighbour Collective to learn more about social homes: https://lnkd.in/gWh_KiZ2 📸 Driftwood Village Cohousing (Cornerstone Architecture)

“Taco night in the community kitchen on the sixth floor?” When we think about getting together with neighbours, we might think of a park or a community centre. But what about our residential buildings? Amenity spaces fill a collective need of a building, either for a specific function (think laundry, co-working, storage), or for recreation (lounge, shared kitchen, play room). These spaces invite residents to get to know one another and participate in activities together. At Marmalade Lane Cohousing, the common room is designed for both play and rest. Connected directly to the outdoor patio, residents can wander easily between indoor and outdoor spaces. Moveable, comfortable furniture allows residents to adapt the space to meet their needs. Different kinds of furniture—like a large dining table and a ping-pong table—encourage gathering and support intergenerational relationships. Download our new housing design toolkit with Hey Neighbour Collective to learn more about social indoor amenity spaces: https://lnkd.in/gWh_KiZ2 📸 Marmalade Lane Cohousing, Cambridge, UK (David Butler / Mole Architects)

Can the place where we hang clothes also be a place to hang out? Laundry rooms are typically located in the basements of multi-unit buildings. In general, they are not very inviting or fun spaces to be in. In this supportive housing community, the laundry room is an unexpected social hub. Located on the ground floor, the laundry room is easy to get to and is connected to other shared spaces, such as the lounge and computer lab. With windows instead of solid walls, residents can easily see into the laundry room while relaxing in the adjacent lounge. Tables, chairs, and bulletin boards create a space where people can do their weekly chores while connecting with neighbours. Download our new housing design toolkit with Hey Neighbour Collective to learn more about how to create social laundry rooms: https://lnkd.in/gWh_KiZ2 📸 Bayview Hill Gardens, San Francisco, CA (Matt Edge / David Baker Architects)