Shore to core

Urban design
Written By Emma Avery

Happy City investigated the influence of urban spaces on human wellbeing and to reimagine social wellbeing in waterfront cities.

Can more fascinating public space designs actually boost human wellbeing?

This question drove an experiment by Happy Cities and collaborators in our winning submission to Shore to Core, a research competition staged by the Van Alen Institute and West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. The competition challenged us to investigate the influence of urban spaces on human wellbeing and to reimagine social wellbeing in waterfront cities.

Happy Cities worked alongside Street Plans Collaborative, the University of Virginia and Space Syntax, using theories of restorative environmental psychology to construct a unique installation on the under-visited promenade. Designed specifically to provoke visitors’ feelings of fascination and being away from everyday life, the installation boosted feelings of belonging, calm, and social trust.

Our results suggest that cities can build health and happiness by pursuing a set of design methods we have come to call Restorative Urbanism.

Before and after images of an urban waterfront space with labels for tactical intervention elements like green planters, tables, fascination frames with historical images, colorful art boxes, shade and seating, and bamboo.
Two individuals engaging with technology, one assisting the other with a wearable device, in an indoor environment with promotional materials and greenery in the background.
An outdoor setting by the waterfront, where people are seated and a historical photo is displayed on a standing frame, with a clear view of the harbor and boats in the background.
A person is counting pedestrians, with a clipboard and pen in hand, as part of a field survey or study, with an urban street and walking individuals in the background.
Emma Avery
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