Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design

Charles Montgomery, a journalist and urbanist, argues that the modern city is often designed to make its inhabitants miserable, prioritizing automobile traffic and economic efficiency over human well-being. By traveling to cities around the world, from Vancouver to Mumbai, he investigates how urban form influences happiness, health, and social connection. Montgomery draws on research in environmental psychology and sociology to demonstrate that walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods foster the social interactions and physical activity essential for a good life.

The book is written in an accessible, conversational style that blends personal anecdote with data-driven analysis. It challenges the assumption that prosperity correlates with happiness, suggesting instead that many poorer cities, with their vibrant street life and dense social fabrics, offer more valuable lessons for urban design than their wealthy, car-centric counterparts. The narrative serves as both a critique of contemporary planning failures and a hopeful guide for reclaiming the public realm.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.