Urban planning and the pursuit of happiness: European variations on a universal theme (18th-21st centuries)

摘要

The pursuit of happiness has been a driving force of human activities since the beginning of civilization. Throughout history rulers, clerics, researchers, and activists have attempted not only to make themselves happy, but also the less fortunate. Architects and planners have played a crucial role in this process. In line with key thinkers and politicians, they believed in architecturally planned happiness. They developed a number of top-down approaches to achieve a perfect and happy society in a perfect and happy built environment. Their approaches, which were always rooted in the cultural dispositions of place and time, went far beyond designing a new residential environment and included teaching the others - usually the lower classes - how they should live.