Smart Happy Region. Relationship between Planning and Subjective Well-Being
Garau Chiara (University of Cagliari), Murgante Beniamino (University of Basilicata), Rossetti Silvia (University of Parma), Campisi Tiziana (University of Enna “Kore”), Annunziata Alfonso (University of Basilicata), Garda Emanuele (University of Bergamo), Carra Martina (University of Brescia), Basbas Socrates (University of Thessaloniki), and Torrao Guilhermina (Aston University)
Session description: The rising need for cities to adapt to future scenarios provides new issues relating to the conceptualization of quality of life and the relation between the Built Environment and quality of life, measured in terms of Subjective Well-Being (SWB). SWB is characterized as an individual’s inclination to focus on positive stimuli or as a state resulting from eudaimonic aspects related to realizing one’s potential and hedonic aspects related to positive emotions and life satisfaction. In urban research, scientific literature shows how the built environment affects different parts of SWB through a set of interconnected variables, such as travel, leisure, work, social relationships, residential well-being, emotional reactions, and health. This Session aims to gain insight into the strengths but also the weaknesses of the new paradigm of Happy City in territorial planning and explore the potential of technological developments and their applications for effectively handling human-centered planning tools that combine social, spatial, and technological strategies to improve the quality and well-being of regional users. Focusing on the main strengths and weaknesses of regional territories as well as the current technological developments and their potential for coping with the post-pandemic scenario, the concept of “Smart Happy Region” is explored by critically focusing on (but not limited to) the following issues:
- Exploration of current national and international initiatives, knowledge and practice on the topic of Happy City;
- Consideration of technology at the service of Happy Regions’ sustainability, resilience, cultural development, citizens’ empowerment and engagement, strengthening of identity and social ties, and so on;
- Identification of indicators, methodologies and tools for measuring, evaluating and monitoring a Happy City;
- Exploration of the vulnerability of regional contexts in terms of digital, social, geographical/territorial, infrastructural, and other divides;
- Potential innovative applications for serving environmental, societal and sectoral needs and goals of Happy Regions;
- Exploration of Regions ‘challenges related to the sustainability of land transformations in a post-pandemic scenario;
- Exploration of smart governance and spatial data management for place-based decision-making and monitoring of spatial dynamics in regional contexts;
- Delineation of practical or theoretical guidelines or strategies for establishing smartness in “fragile” regions spatial contexts, also in terms of mobility and distributive logistics;
- Exploration of the effects of urban regeneration practices on smartness and well-being.
Keywords: smart happy region, Happy City, urban and regional growth, subjective well-being, intelligent region systems, vulnerable regions areas, regions’ sustainability