Urban Planning and the Pursuit of Happiness

European Variations on a Universal Theme (18th-21st centuries)

Urban planning means far more than the design of land, property, and housing complexes. The visions of town planners and their clients—whether they are technical, artistic, political, or social—communicate, more or less clearly, the universal pursuit of happiness. However, the planners’ notions of "happiness” and those of future users are not always the same: often enough, the way in which residents use their city represents a complete contrast to the planner’s original ideas. Taking twelve European examples—urban planning projects seen from the viewpoint of planners and users—this book sheds some surprising light on both sides of the "pursuit of happiness”—in urban planning projects seen from the viewpoint of planners and users.