 And without further ado, I'd like to turn it over to the co-manager of the SDSN Black Sea, Harris Severidis, to start speaking. Hello, everyone. Thank you. Thank you, Lauren. Happy Earth Day to all of you. Thank you for being here with us. Welcome to our session, Happy City, Strategies and Applications in Pursuit of Urban Wellbeing. My name is Harris, and I'm the commander of SDSN Black Sea. With us today, we have Savas Trubas, an active student of architecture with participation in various programs including TEDx as a member of the organizing team of TEDx University of Patras and the radio producer at the University of Patras, Haiti. For the past two years, his studies and research have been aimed at combining social sciences with urban design for a more sustainable way of living at a better quality of life. He is currently researching what applications can be a research as a growth and circular economy have in every day. Today's presentation is part of his research basis on social well-being and the ways of evaluating and strengthening it through urban planning and social interventions. As Lauren said, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in a question pane as there will be a Q&A session hopefully at the end of the presentation. Savas, if you're ready, the floor is yours. Thank you very much, Harris, for the introduction. Good evening from Greece. I'm very happy to be here today to present a part of my research basis about urban happiness. So let's start the presentation. The pursuit of happiness has always been the ultimate goal of the month through the development of Western culture. However, the way it is interpreted today seems to be far removed from its classical meaning. More specifically, happiness is often in the context of the utilitarian idea, ignoring the long discussion of human well-being such as Aristotle's Simicomachian ethics. For him, he has the money, as he expressed it, is the top of all goods that can be achieved by someone's actions, without excluding all of them the needs for material goods, but only as a means to achieve it. It is important to understand that the nature of happiness and to wonder what can be done to improve or even change what has been considered as happiness today. Its social dimension is largely ignored. However, the theory of public affiliation by the Italians states that the happiness of the public must become the ideal of all good governance by the highest authority, which is the supreme and independent coordinator of public happiness. Later, it was the political economy that began to explore the quality of livelihood under the assumption that economic variables such as income, wealth or employment were important objectives for a good life both individually and socially. The reduction of misery through the reduction of material poverty then became the ultimate goal of the economy, thus consolidating its moral position. So, on the verge of the first industrial revolution, the utilitarian idea founded by Jeremy Bentham was built around the golden rule of greater happiness for the greater number. More specifically, in Bentham's perception, happiness is equal to pleasure and therefore public happiness can only be considered as the total amount of individual pleasure. In this way, the distinction between the end happiness and medium wealth disappears and pleasure becomes the immediate end of economic activity to achieve. The idea has inspired economists to study the nature and causes of wealth of people and nations in the hope that a never-increasing member of people can enjoy basic material needs and therefore increase public happiness. In this context, the city of the industrial revolution and its citizens are seen as tools for the production of wealth, which was considered to be able to bring only positive social changes, but that came in contrast to the growing inequalities in the urban space. The intellectual observers were convinced that this urban landscape not only affected the health, but also the mental balance of the city dwellers. How could they be saved from this situation? Was the burdening of the city or replacing the demon of the industrial revolution the solution? Thus, some of them led to the designing of utopian theoretical models aiming to the complete reform of societies, both spatially and institutionally. To some extent, Robert Pepperdon tried to capture this view in a happy colonist design, as we can see the left part of the slide, or a Benezer Howard in the garden in the famous garden city's model. While a little later during the modernist period, Le Corbusier, with the project of Filiore Ratiers and the flag of Frank Lloyd Wright, through Broad Electricity, gave their own answer against the terror of the cities that had been arisen. According to this critique, it is conceived that the theorists that saved western culture till today neglect certain criteria that affect people's happiness. There are, in other words, some external happiness factors that are not taken into account in the standard financial balance of income and wealth prosperity. In the transformation of economic goods into prosperity, there is something that makes the process more complicated than the usual economic theory assumes. Indeed, have Richard Easterly, introducing the paradox of happiness, seems to question the view of the development economy that increasing wealth also means increasing one's happiness. More specifically, it shows that per capita income has risen sharply in most countries in recent decades, but average happiness has remained stable or has increased less comparatively. On this line, several localization states have begun an effort to disengage from purely economic models of evaluation and development. By documenting social science factors that have thought to affect the well-being of societies and individuals, they list them and form strategies that could be used by higher authorities to promote social well-being. For example, one of these organizations is the New Economics Foundation through the creation of the Happy Planet Index, which seeks to develop research on the issue of sustainable social well-being. The index is calculated through an equation of the combination of four parameters to show how effectively the residents of different countries use environmental resources to lead long, happy life. As we can see, the picture of the world map shows that when comparing the scores of countries in terms of people's ability to live good lives within environmental limits, Latin American countries and Asia Pacific region are ahead, not the rich western countries, that they are usually considered as a model of success. This is happening because the ecological footprint rates are very low in these countries, while well-being indicators are very close to those in western countries. Respectively, the third in places index was developed by Happy City, the New Economics Foundation in the United Kingdom. The index is made up of several inter-connected elements that are thought to affect well-being while contributing to policy, research and action focus on the things that are most important for improved life. On the three main pillars, local conditions, sustainability and equality, the total of 27 indicators are structured, which are divided into categories and subcategories, producing an easy-to-use evaluation list. Finally, the regional well-being index was launched by OECD to improve the use of well-being measures in policy making both locally and regionally. Evidence suggests that certain factors that most affect people's well-being are local issues. Thus, it counts well-being where people experience it and focuses on both individuals and place-based characteristics. A total of 11 measurement parameters, such as public health, safety, access to services, etc., have been developed in order to highlight the quality of the conditions of the community people in which they lead, work and socialize. Concluding the representation of these three indexes, it is worth making some observations in order to better understand the purpose of measuring and evaluating social well-being. Starting with a happy planet index equation, it is important to note the addition of the ecological footprint as a variable in measuring happiness. Since the question of the sustainability of societies sets new limits on development strategies. The catalog of the private-faces index and the regional well-being index, in contrast to the first, have been formed based on the local, original level of the societies. That is to say, the data are coming from the local administrative of the countries and not the centralized national data. Combined with the indicator, it is possible to record the condition that may prevail in a local society in terms of quality of life, infrastructure and management. By paying more attention to the private-faces index, the step-by-step structure of the main builders in subcategories seems to be more effective in measuring and evaluating the social well-being of a local community as opposed to regional well-being, where factors are not classified. Continuing the effort to make the relationships between the conditions that may prevail in a local community, even more obvious, in terms of promoting better quality of life and therefore social well-being, some of the factors in the above catalogs have been selected for further research. Some of them are related to the planning of the city from the point of view of its natural elements and urban project, while others meet with strategies of their local authorities in order to promote better quality of life. So, first of all, the design and condition of the urban landscapes and the built environment affect the prosperity and quality of life in various ways and schemes within a city. On a larger scale, improving access and use of public transportation reduces congestion and improves commuting time. An effective way to encourage the use is to allow compact growth around transit hubs. Such a reform was introduced by the City of Quito and Ecuador in order to reduce congestion and discourage advance growth. According to this, up to 100% higher buildings could be built than what the regulation allowed with two restrictions, to be within walking distance capable from a public transport station and to meet the climatic requirements and the supply of water, energy and efficiency of the building. Well-being is also improved by social connections and the place-making method can promote such results with a wide variety of interventions to improve public spaces, usually with bottom-up initiatives. In other words, it seems that simple changes in the design of the environment of a part of a city can positively affect their well-being. Interventions that are co-created by the community through participator design can have an even greater impact. In addition, another important aspect of urban planning related to social development is the ability to walk. Cities that promote walking across simple, healthy cities naturally and socially, since it affects how Shaman connects with his family, friends, work, nature. The method of the 20-minute neighborhood is of similar logic. The idea is used to develop and create areas that will be able to provide a variety of accommodation, leisure, trade and daily activities for a local resident, all of which will be accessible with a maximum walking time of 20 minutes. The existence of greenery in cities should be considered necessary and not an optional luxury. According to Francis Kuo, it is a key element of a healthy human environment. The ale exposure to it is essential and every little element of nature benefits. After all, it is now known that nature in our cities makes us happier and happier, more friendly and kind. In many cities such as Vancouver and Melbourne, there is a widespread reorganization of public space to small green spaces and away from cars. A common practice now based on placing small green spaces in car parks next to sidewalks, famous known as parking lots. At the same time, the use of abandoned urban structures offers the creation of new types of public green spaces. Typical examples are the famous high-lining in New York and the Bedway in Toronto. Finally, the implementation of temporary urban experiments such as semi-permanent installations or the limited time change of use in public spaces have been successfully managed successfully in 96. Continuing another important aspect of city life is the ability to move and traffic congestion is a deterrent to a well-organized daily routine in the city. In addition, there is no doubt about the stress caused by long commuting, which is negatively related to well-being. On the contrary, active exercise can improve physical health and bring psychological benefits. These benefits, along with improved air quality and reduced travel costs, have led cities around the world to promote cycling. In 2006, the city of Seville in Spain had a negligible cycling infrastructure and few cyclists. By 2011, the complete network of bike lanes have been built, which has led to six times increased in the number of cyclists. In addition, cycling was three times safer, mainly due to the new well-connected network of bike lanes and the separation of cyclists from motor traffic. The World Health Organization points out that physical and mental health are independent and at the same time important for assessing people's such active well-being. Good health in both its forms is widely considered to facilitate the conditions of individuals in order to enjoy their lives. The prospect of designing healthy behaviors as part of everyday life is attractive on many levels and therefore an urban development approach that works towards this healthier and more active cities should be encouraged. A good example of mobilizing an entire city for organized physical activity is the Glovia program in Bogota in Colombia, which was established as an official event in 1976 and has become part of its culture. The physical activity promoted is important, but it so is the social aspect as people go out in groups and families. At the same time, it is a kind of social equalizer since people from all social statuses share the same space on equal terms. Furthermore, the action of removing traffic from motor vehicles and making roads available exclusively to cyclists is an act of public space recovery and reminds us how much paying space has been devoted to cars and how well one feels when cycling, walking and playing. Last but not least, according to Maslow, the sense of security is important for well-being and mental health and this condition can easily be distracted in a city where the most dangerous streets or neighborhoods are those where no one is walking. Life on and around the streets plays an important role. Urban areas with mixed land use create opportunities for more activities in and near buildings throughout the 24-hour period. In the conclusion of this presentation, it is understood that issues related to urban planning lead to results that are quickly visible and allow early benefits for the well-being of people in a city. Examples such as the Bikle Networking Seville or principles of walkability in the 20-minute neighborhood prove the immediate benefits of urban everyday life upgrading the quality of life of residents. On the other hand, policymaking strategies involves more profound changes in the city that change the fabric of society. Therefore, this category concerns activation. City authorities make this concept clear to the citizens and make it easier for them to take advantage of external factors, actively participate and eventually break about internal changes in their attitudes and perceptions. Examples such as the Cyclovia Program in Bogota strike the social identity and cohesion. Finally, it is now clear that cities need to invest on all streets in order to achieve holistic and sustainable results. The pursuit of urban happiness is a holistic process that concerns not only one's personal way of living but all those aspects of the way we live, think, socialize and build in the urban environment because they eventually shape cities. The challenge is not only design but also psychological and social. Thank you very much. Thank you for this interesting presentation Samas. We've got a couple of questions for you. Firstly, to what degree do you think the restriction measures opposed due to COVID-19 affect urban well-being? I think that this is very evident the last two months at least because human mass, we usually say, is a social creature and they need socializing and even more in urban spaces of the city such as cafeterias or parks is a part of our life. So being closed in a home because of the epidemic, I think there is a huge problem in our mental health. Are there any easy to implement practices that can change citizens' well-being and help them improve their psychology or generally? I think that the most usual aspect of short-term exercise outside for running or walking is the best you can do these days with your partner or whatever or alone. The least you can do for yourself to feel better I think. Are there any easy practices that the neighborhood can implement for instance? I think that this question is very good because we can implement a notion of social cohesion as I said and social bonding. I think it's a very good opportunity to meet our neighbors and help them as much as we can if there is any need. So us to feel better not but also us as a way of helping someone. And in your presentation you mentioned state indexes which one is more trustworthy because statistics can be very easy older than late if you know. Yes I think that the most valuable, as I would say, index is the index of the time phases index because of two reasons. The first one is because it was created with the nation of the authorities, the central authorities of the United Kingdom and the authorities of the cities of the United Kingdom in the organization of the New Economics Foundation. And the second reason is because as I said the classification of these factors allow us to know which is more important to achieve whenever we want to take them as a rule and for both communities and bottom up initiatives and top-down activities from local authorities. And you mentioned that somewhere in your presentation that Costa Rica is half the place in the U.S., right? And somewhere about the Colombia and the cycling and what house I've been older than saying it's the psychology of the whole city. So activities and greenery is what we need? Do we need better planning? Yes of course. To my concern I think there is a huge role in urban life for green. Urban activities and greenery, thank you so much. Thank you everybody. I think if anybody has anything else to add. Thank you for being here with us. I hope to continue our series.