News

Last week decision makers from around the world gathered at the OECD headquarters in Paris to discuss “Putting Wellbeing Metrics into Policy Action”.  It was the third time Centre for Thriving Places has spoken at the OECD. The earlier occasions in 2013-14 were in the early days of our work... read more →

This week, many of our past academic partners alongside our colleagues at What Works Centre for Wellbeing published new research into the role of place and community conditions for wellbeing. Whilst only a preliminary report, it already points the way to vitally important lessons for anyone interested in supporting people... read more →

The current economic logic says that if somewhere is making money, it’s doing well. But here at Happy City we've always been clear that that’s only part of the story. GDP is a measure of wealth, not wellbeing and using it as a sole metric to measure societal progress misses... read more →

Why is it that almost all the radical approaches to delivering a new economic vision are being led by women?   From Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand to Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland, there is a North-to-South shared agenda calling for wellbeing to be put at the heart of government thinking.   Here... read more →

We’re thrilled that wellbeing economics is continuing to make waves across the world. In June we wrote about the developments that were taking place when Jacinda Ardern announced New Zealand’s new wellbeing budget. Since then, wellbeing has been a regular feature in the news, with Nicola Sturgeon’s fantastic TED talk... read more →

What a month it’s been for wellbeing economics. For an organisation that’s spent ten years campaigning for a societal commitment to wellbeing, it’s been heartwarming to watch the trickle of ideas turning into a roar for action. First over 200 leading academics sent an open letter to the EU demanding... read more →

This mental health awareness week there’s been plenty in the news about how green space plays a role in mental health - from articles ranging from the role that community gardens can play in overcoming depression, to the Duchess of Cambridge’s woodland wellbeing space for the Chelsea Flower Show. But... read more →