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Professor Helene Joffe, UCL, "Wellbeing in the City: A Study of the Aspirations of those who Dwell in Britain’s two Largest Cities" Departmental Seminar Series 2017/18

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Location: H1.48

Hosted by Robin Goodwin

Refreshments in Common room at 3.30pm. Note seminar finishes at 5pm.

Wellbeing in the City: A Study of the Aspirations of those who Dwell in Britain’s two Largest Cities

As cities continue to grow in size and number, and the ‘smart’ agenda becomes increasingly prevalent, what are city dwellers’ priorities for their own futures? Using a novel and naturalistic free association method this study explores what matched samples of adults in Britain’s two largest cities want from cities of the future and for their own futures, the motivations underpinning these aspirations and their link to wellbeing. Thematic analysis of 96 interviews, in which the participants elaborate their free associations, reveals that the aspiration for community is one of three key wishes for cities of the future, and social connectedness is the most prevalent personal aspiration. It includes connection with both ‘strong ties’ and ‘weak ties’. City dwellers’ aspirations for social connection are motivated by a desire to ‘matter’ and are imbued with nostalgia. Based on these findings the paper proposes that wellbeing-enhancing future city design will need to recreate the imagined ideal past in which people connected face-to-face and experienced themselves as mattering to other people.

Helene Joffe 2

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