Why does one of the wealthiest nations in the world contain cities filled with unhappy and disconnected people? In Episode 1 of Season 3, Sara Joy and Eric look to Charles Montgomery's Happy City to answer this question and to figure out what it takes to build a happy city.
What makes a city a 'happy city'? Is there a correlation between the wealth of a city and its happiness? According to Charles Montgomery, author of Happy City, happiness is about having meaningful connections with the people who are proximate to us. People often think that things like houses, cars, and toys will make us happy. But whatever happiness we gain from those things is usually short term. Montgomery makes the case that since lasting happiness comes from meaningful human connections, we will tend to be more happy when we live and work in settings that encourage and allow that kind of interaction. A happy city, then is a city that encourages meaningful connections between people. In this episode Eric interviews Sara Joy about Happy City and we consider Montgomery’s thesis through a lens of faith.
Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode.
More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.
Related Resources
Happy City by Charles Montgomery
Eudomainia a Greek word for happiness.
Ebenezer Howard is a British urban planner to came up with the concept of Garden Cities which allowed people to live in a natural setting close to the city which was influential on the development of the American suburb.
Le Corbusier is the Swiss architect and founder of the International Style of architecture and creator of the Plan Voisin.
Plan Voisin is Le Corbusier’s plan to replace all the buildings of central Paris with a uniform set of highrise buildings with green space between them. This became a template for low income housing in the United States.
Pruitt-Igoe is a low income housing project built in St. Louis in 1954 that was inspired by the Plan Voisin. It was a complete disaster that became internationally famous for its poverty, crime, and racial segregation. It was torn down in mid-1970s.
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces by William Holly Whyte
Documentary: Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
Jeremiah 29:7 “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
Zechariah 8:4-5 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.”
Find these Key Terms on The Embedded Church website:
- Density
- Proximity
- Sprawl
Show Credits
Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe
Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions
Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer
Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative