Happy Cities: A Model for Urban Areas
In January 2020, we - students from the Faculty of Architecture and Design (SoA+D) at King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi - joined fellow students from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University (HSPH) and the Department of Industrial Design (IDP) at Chulalongkorn University for a two-week workshop entitled "HAPPY CITIES - A Model for Urban Areas". The event took place at the Research and Innovation Center for Sustainability (RISC), and benefited from the involvement of Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited (MQDC) leadership.
The workshop represented an early exploration of a broader research agenda at HSPH centered on Design for Well-being. Led by Prof. Patrick Whitney and Andre Nogueira, Ph.D., this agenda explores how might new cities enable and promote the health, happiness, and prosperity of its inhabitants, including people, organizations, and the natural environment. We applied the Whole View (WV) to new urban interventions that accounted for improvements on the physical and mental health of diverse agents as well as the regeneration and sustainable management of natural resources.
Selected locations in Bangkok were used for research and investigation, and presented the context for understanding patterns of daily life. Among the areas, we visited a small neighborhood along the Lat Prao canal and an informal settlement in the Makkasan district. In each visit we met with residents and leaders in their communities and learned from their work, such as those related to the Triam Udom School, Bang Krachao Community, or Jatujak Market.
Understanding different dynamics in Bangkok from the WV allowed us to explore conceptual interventions considering the interconnectivity between business strategies, organizational operations and competencies, and new offerings, as they were fit to address the identified need in the areas we were involved. Such explorations were then used to challenge conventional approaches in urban design and raise further research questions regarding contemporary practices.
The workshop included introductory lectures on contextual and conceptual foundations and complementary presentations that provided new insights on how Bangkok, and Thailand more broadly, are advancing on efforts at the intersection of well-being, urban planning, and environmental sustainability. Additional insights came from expeditions within the city, which were not only helpful for us to get to know each other in our mixed teams, but also to have unique experiences in the context of Thai culture and society. At the end of the two weeks, we presented our concepts to various stakeholders, including leaders from the private and public sector as well as from academia and NGOs.
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