Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design

Product Description

Happy City is the story of how the solutions to this century`s problems lie in unlocking the secrets to great city living. This is going to be the century of the city. But what actually makes a good city? Why are some cities a joy to live in? As Charles Montgomery reveals, it`s not how much money your neighbours earn, or how pleasant the climate is that makes the most difference. Journeying to dozens of cities
- from Atlanta to Bogota to Vancouver
- he talks to the new champions of the happy city to explore the urban innovations already transforming people`s lives. He meets the visionary Colombian mayor who turned some of the world`s most dangerous roads into an urban cycling haven; the Danish architect who brought the lessons of medieval Tuscan towns to modern-day Copenhagen; & the New York City transport commissioner who turned the gridlock of Times Square into a place to lounge in the sun. Drawing on the lessons from their stories, from brain science, & from the fascinating realm of urban experimentation, Happy City offers solutions we can all use to improve our lives & shows that simple changes can make all the difference. ” Do we live in neighbourhoods that make us happy? Montgomery encourages us to ask without embarrassment, & to think intelligently about the answer”. (The New York Times Book Review). ” Excellent... Montgomery believes in the importance of smart town planning & Happy City is a compendium of its major ideas”. (Will Dean, Independent). Charles Montgomery is a journalist & urban experimentalist from Vancouver, Canada. His writings on urban planning, psychology, culture, & history have appeared in magazines & journals on three continents. He is the author of one previous book, & was an original member of the BMW Guggenheim Lab.