Health and Happiness

PETAL INTENT The intent of the Health and Happiness Petal is to focus on the major conditions that must be present to create robust, healthy Communities filled with happy, productive people, rather than to address all of the potential ways that our neighborhoods and cities can compromise the human experience. Most development that occurs overlooks the requirements necessary to create a healthy and positive backdrop for our lives and instead focuses on parking counts, vehicular traffic and maximum instant property value. This Petal provides the framework for positive planning decisions at the street, block, district and community scales. IDEAL CONDITIONS AND CURRENT LIMITATIONS The Living Community Challenge envisions nourishing, highly productive and healthful environments incorporated into indoor and outdoor spaces throughout the Community. However, even best-laid plans require acceptance and engagement by projects’ inhabitants and owners. It is difficult to ensure that places will remain vibrant over time, since sensory aspects such as air quality, thermal control, and visual comfort can easily be compromised in numerous ways. It can also be complicated to ensure optimal conditions due to the unpredictable nature of how people operate and maintain the interior and exterior spaces where they live, work and recreate.