What makes a 'happy city'?

Cities

Volumn 32, Issue , 2013, Pages

  Ballas, Dimitris ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Cities and regions; Happiness; Objective indicators; Quality of life (QoL); Social justice; Subjective measures; Well being

Indexed keywords

EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS; EQUITY; QUALITY OF LIFE; SOCIAL IMPACT; SOCIAL JUSTICE; SOCIAL THEORY; SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS; ECONOMIC THEORY; SOCIOECONOMIC INDICATOR; THEORETICAL STUDY; URBAN AREA;

EID: 84883554894     PISSN: 02642751     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2013.04.009     Document Type: Article

References (143)

1. Alesina A., Di Tella R., MacCulloch R. Inequality and happiness: are Europeans and Americans different?. Journal of Public Economics 2004, 88:2009-2042.
2. Aslam A., Corrado L. The geography of well-being. Journal of Economic Geography 2011, 10.1093/jeg/lbr041.
3. Bagwell L.S., Bernheim B.D. Veblen effects in a theory of conspicuous consumption. American Economic Review 1996, 86(3):349-373.
4. Ballas D., Dorling D. Measuring the impact of major life events upon happiness. International Journal of Epidemiology 2007, 36:1244-1252.
5. Ballas D., Dorling D. The geography of happiness. The Oxford handbook of happiness 2013, 465-481. Oxford University Press. S. David, I. Boniwell, A. Conley Ayers (Eds.).
6. Ballas D., Dorling D., Shaw M. Social inequality, health, and well-being. Well-being: Individual, community, and social perspectives 2007, 163-186. Palgrave, Basingstoke. J. Haworth, G. Hart (Eds.).
7. Ballas D. Geographical Modelling of Happiness and Well-being. BURISA 2008, 177:12-17.
8. Ballas D. Geographical modelling of happiness and well-being. Population, Employment, Health and Well-being 2010, Vol. 2:53-66. Springer. J. Stillwell, P. Norman, C. Thomas, P. Surridge (Eds.).
9. Ballas D., Tranmer M. Happy people or happy places? A multi-level modelling approach to the analysis of happiness and well-being. International Regional Science Review 2012, 35:70-102.
10. Bartik T.J., Kerry Smith V. Urban Amenities and Public Policy. Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics: Volume 2, Urban Economics 1987, North-Holland, Amsterdam. E. Mills (Ed.).
11. Batty M. Building a science of cities. Cities 2012, 29:S9-S16.
12. Beeson Patricia.E. Amenities and Regional Differences in Returns to Worker Characteristics. Journal of Urban Economics 1991, 30:224-241.
13. Bergstad C.J., Gamble A., Hagman O., Polk M., Gärling T., Ettema D., Friman M., Olsson L.E. Influences of Affect Associated with Routine Out-of-Home Activities on Subjective Well-Being. Applied Research Quality of Life 2012, 7:49-62.
14. Berry B.J.L., Okulicz-Kozaryn A. An Urban-Rural Happiness Gradient. Urban Geography 2011, 32(6):871-883.
15. Blanchflower D.G., Oswald A.J. Well-being over time in Britain and the USA. Journal of Public Economics 2004, 88:1359-1386.
16. Blanchflower D.G., Oswald A. Is well-being U-shaped over the life cycle?. Social Science & Medicine 2008, 66(8):1733-1749.
17. Blanchflower, D, Oswald, A. (2009), Hypertension and Happiness across Regions, working paper. Accessed 25.06.09.
18. Boelhouwer P.J. Neo-classical economic theory on housing markets and behavioural sciences: ally or opponent?. Housing, Theory and Society 2011, 3(28):276-280.
19. Borts G.H., Stein Jerome.L. Economic growth in a free market 1964, Columbia University Press, New York.
20. Bray I., Gunnell D. Suicide rates, life satisfaction and happiness as markers for population mental health. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2006, 41:333-337.
21. Brereton F., Bullock C., Clinch J.P., Scott M. Rural change and individual well-being: the case of Ireland and rural QoL. European Urban and Regional Studies 2011, 18(2):203-227.
22. Brereton F., Clinch J.P., Ferreira S. Happiness, geography and the environment. Ecological Economics 2008, 65:386-396.
23. Burt R.S. A note on strangers, friends and happiness. Social Networks 1987, 9:311-331.
24. Carruthers J., Mulligan G. The plane of living and the precrisis evolution of housing values in the USA. Journal of Economic Geography 2012, 12(4):739-773.
25. Case K.E., Shiller R.J. Is there a bubble in the housing market?. An Analysis, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 2003, September.
26. Charles K.K., Hurst E., Roussanov N. Conspicuous consumption and race. Quarterly Journal of Economics 2009, 74(2):425-467.
27. Cheshire P., Magrini S. Population growth in European cities: Weather matters - But only nationally. Regional Studies 2006, 40:23-37.
28. Chhetri, P., Stimson, R., Western, J. (2011), Using GIS to Derive Region-Wide Patterns of Quality of Urban Life Dimensions: Illustrated with Data from the Brisbane-SEQ Region. In RW. Marans, R W, RJ. Stimson (Eds.), Investigating Quality of Urban Life (pp. 405-436). Springer, Dodrecht.
29. Clapham D. "I wouldn't start from here": Some reflections on the analysis of housing markets. Housing, Theory and Society 2011, 288-291.
30. Clark A., Oswald A. Satisfaction and Comparison Income", with Andrew Clark. Journal of Public Economics 1996, 61:359-381.
31. Clark A. Unemployment as a social norm: Psychological evidence from panel data. Journal of Labor Economics 2003, 21:324-351.
32. Clark W.A.V. Prices, expectations and the changing housing market: A commentary and discussion. Housing, Theory and Society 2011, 28(3):262-275.
33. Clark A., Kristensen N., Westergård-Nielsen N. Economic satisfaction and income rank in small neighbourhoods. Journal of the European Economic Association 2009, 7:519-527.
34. Clark A.E., Oswald A.J. Unhappiness and unemployment. Economic Journal 1994, 104:648-659.
35. Clark A.E., Oswald A.J. Comparison-concave utility and following behaviour in social and economic settings. Journal of Public Economics 1998, 70:133-155.
36. Clark A., Oswald A. A simple statistical method for measuring how life events affect happiness. International Journal of Epidemiology 2002, 31(6):1139-1144.
37. Craglia M., Leontidou L., Nuvolati G., Schweikart J. Towards the development of QoL indicators in the digital city. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 2004, 31:51-64.
38. Cropper M.L. The value of urban amenities. Journal of Regional Science 1981, 21:359-372.
39. Davidson R. Affective style, psychopathology and resilience: Brain mechanisms and plasticity. American Psychologist 2000, 55:1196-1214.
40. Davidson R., Jackson D., Kalin N. Emotion, plasticity, context and regulation: Perspectives from affective neuroscience. Psychological Bulletin 2000, 126:890-906.
41. The Oxford handbook of happiness 2013, Oxford University Press. S. David, I. Boniwell, A. Conley Ayers (Eds.).
42. Diener E., Suh E.M., Lucas R.E., Smith H.L. Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological review 1999, 125:276-302.
43. Diener E., Seligman M.E. Very happy people. Psychological Science 2002, 13(1):81-84.
44. Di Tella R., MacCulloch R., Oswald A. Preferences over inflation and unemployment. Evidence from surveys of happiness. The American Economic Review 2001, 91(1):335-341.
45. Di Tella R., MacCulloch R.J., Oswald A.J. The macroeconomics of happiness. Review of Economics and Statistics 2003, 85:809-827.
46. Dolan P., Peasgood T., White M. Review of research on the influences on personal well-being and application to policy making 2006, Final report for DEFRA, 24 August 2006.
47. Dolan P., Peasgood T., White M. Do we really know what makes us happy? A review of the literature on the factors associated with subjective well-being. Journal of Economic Psychology 2007, 10.1016/j.joep.2007.09.001.
48. Dorling D. Injustice: Why social inequality persists 2011, Policy Press, Bristol.
49. Doyal L., Gough I. A theory of human need 1991, Macmillan, London.
50. Duesenberry J.S. Income, saving and the theory of consumer behaviour 1949, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
51. Easterlin R. Income and happiness: Towards a unified theory. The Economic Journal 2001, 111:465-484.
52. Easterlin R. A puzzle for adaptive theory. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 2005, 56:513-521.
53. Easterlin R.A. Does economic growth improve the human lot? Some empirical evidence. Nations and households in economic growth: Essays in honor of Moses Abramovitz 1974, 89-125. Academic Press, New York and London. P.A. David, M.W. Reder (Eds.).
54. Faggian A., Olfert M.R., Partridge M.D. Inferring regional well-being from individual revealed preferences: The 'voting with your feet' approach. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society 2011, 5(1):163-180.
55. Faggian A., Royuela V. Migration flows and QoL in a metropolitan area: The case of Barcelona-Spain. Applied Research Quality Life 2010, 5:241-259.
56. Ferrer-i-Carbonell A. Income and well-being: an empirical analysis of the comparison income effect. Journal of Public Economics 2005, 89:997-1019.
57. Ferrer-i-Carbonell A., Gowdy J.M. Environmental degradation and happiness. Ecological Economics 2007, 60(3,15):509-516.
58. Frank R. Luxury fever: Money and happiness in an era of excess 1999, Princeton University Press, New York.
59. Frank, R (2005), Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class, 2007.
60. Frank R.H. Should public policy respond to positional externalities?. Journal of Public Economics 2008, 92(8-9):1773-1862.
61. Frey B., Stutzer A. Happiness and economics 2002, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
62. Gerdtham U.G., Johannesson M. The relationship between happiness, health and socio-economic factors: Results based on Swedish micro data. Journal of Socio-Economics 2001, 30:553-557.
63. Glaeser E. Triumph of the city: How urban spaces make us human 2011, MacMillan, London.
64. Glaeser E.L., Kolko J., Saiz A. Consumer city. Journal of Economic Geography 2001, 1:27-50.
65. Glaeser E.L., Sacerdote B. Why is there more crime in cities?. Journal of Political Economy 1999, 107:225-258.
66. Goodrich C.B. Migration and economic opportunity: The report of the study of population redistribution 1936, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, PA.
67. Goodrich C.B., Allin W., Hayes M. Migration and planes of living: 1920-1934 1935, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, PA.
68. Gordon D., Pantazis C. Measuring poverty: Breadline Britain in the 1990s. Breadline Britain in the 1990s 1997, Ashgate, Aldershot. D. Gordon, C. Pantazis (Eds.).
69. Graves P.E. Migration with a Composite Amenity: The Role of Rents. Journal of Regional Science 1982, 23:541-546.
70. Gyourko J., Mayer C., Sinai T. Superstar cities. NBER working paper 12355 2006, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA.
71. Harvey D., Social justice and the city, 1973, Edward Arnold; London.
72. Helliwell J.F. How's life?. Combining individual and national variables explain subjective well-being, Economic Modelling 2003, 20:331-360.
73. Higgins P., Campanera J., Nobajas A. QoL and spatial inequality in London. European and Urban Regional Studies 2012, Advance access, published, online 05.04.12. 10.1177/0969776412439201.
74. Hoehn J., Berger M., Blomquist G.C. A hedonic model of interregional wages, rents and amenity values. Journal of Regional Science 1987, 27:605-620.
75. Huppert F.A., Baylis N., Keverne B. The science of well-being 2005, Oxford University Press.
76. James O. Affluenza 2007, Vermilion, London.
77. Jordison S., Kieran D. Crap towns: The 50 worst places to live in the UK 2003, Boxtree.
78. Kahsai M.S., Gebremedhin T.G., Schaeffer P.V. A Spatial analysis of amenity and regional economic growth in northeast region. Urban and Regional Development Studies 2011, 23:77-93.
79. Keul, A. G., Pinz, T. (2011). The Salzburg Quality of Urban Life Study with GIS Support, in RW. Marans, RJ. Stimson (Eds.), Investigating Quality of Urban Life (pp. 273-294), Dodrecht: Springer.
80. Keyes C. Social well-being. Social Psychology Quarterly 1998, 61:121-140.
81. Korpi M., Clark W.A.V., Malmberg B. The urban hierarchy and domestic migration: The interaction of internal migration, disposable income and the cost of living, Sweden 1993-2002. Journal of Economic Geography 2011, 12:1051-1077.
82. Lambiri D., Biagi B., Royuela V. QoL in the economic and urban economic literature. Social Indicators Research 2007, 84:1-25.
83. Layard R. Happiness. Lessons from a new science 2005, Allen Lane, Penguin Books.
84. Layard R. Measuring subjective well-being. Science 2010, 327:534-535.
85. Luttmer E.F.P. Neighbors as negatives: Relative earnings and wellbeing. Quarterly Journal of Economics 2005, 120:963-1002.
86. Marans RW., Kweon B. The QoL in metro detroit at the beginning of the millenium. Investigating quality of urban life 2011, 163-184. Springer, Dodrecht. R.W. Marans, R.J. Stimson (Eds.).
87. Investigating quality of urban life 2011, Springer, Dodrecht. R.W. Marans, R.J. Stimson (Eds.).
88. Marmot M. Status syndrome 2004, Bloomsbury.
89. Marsh A., Gibb K. Uncertainty, expectations and behavioural aspects of housing market choices. Housing, Theory and Society 2011, 28(3):215-235.
90. Marx, K. (1847). [on-line version], Wage, Labour and Capital, [on-line document]. Marx/Engels Internet Archive (www.marxists.org) 1993, 1999. <> Accessed 21.04.13. http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/wage-labour/index.htm.
91. McCrea, R, Western, J, Stimson, R (2011), Modelling Determinants of Subjective Quality of Urban Life at Different Geographic Scales: The Case of the Brisbane-SEQ Region. In RW. Marans, RJ. Stimson (Eds.), Investigating Quality of Urban Life (pp. 347-368), Springer, Dodrecht.
92. Mercer (2012). 2012 Quality of Living worldwide city rankings - Mercer survey. Mercer. <>. http://uk.mercer.com/press-releases/quality-of-living-report-2012.
93. Mitchell R. Greener urban areas in Scotland are not healthier 2013, Centre for Research Environment Society and Health, .
94. Mitchell, R. (in press). Is physical activity in natural environments better for mental health than physical activity in other environments? Social Science and Medicine, doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.03.031.
95. Morais P., Camanho A.S. Evaluation of performance of European cities with the aim to promote QoL improvements. Omega 2011, 39:398-409.
96. Morais P., Miguèis V.I., Camanho A.S. QoL experienced by human capital: An assessment of European cities. Social Indicators Research 2011, 10.1007/s11205-011-9923-5.
97. Morrison P. Subjective well-being and the city. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand 2007, 31:74-103.
98. Morrison P. Local expressions of subjective well-being: The New Zealand experience. Regional Studies 2011, 45(8):1039-1058.
99. Mulligan G.F., Vias A.C., Glavac S.M. Initial diagnostics of a regional adjustment model. Environment and Planning A 1999, 31:855-876.
100. Mulligan G.F., Vias A.C. Growth and change in United States micropolitan areas. Annals of Regional Science 2006, 40:203-228.
101. Mulligan G., Carruthers J., Cahill M. Urban quality of life and public policy: A survey. Urban dynamics and growth: Advances in urban economics 2004, 729-802. Elsevier, Amsterdam. R. Capello, P. Nijkamp (Eds.).
102. Mulligan G., Carruthers J.I. Amenities, QoL and regional development. Investigating quality of urban life 2011, 107-134. Springer, Dodrecht. R.W. Marans, R.J. Stimson (Eds.).
103. Muth RF. Migration: Chicken or egg?. Southern Economic Journal 1971, 295-306.
104. Norberg-Hodge, H., Gorelick, S., & Page, J. (2011). The Economics of Happiness, 67minutes DVD, produced by Helena Norberg-Hodge; co-Directed by Steven Gorelick, John Page, and Helena Norberg Hodge, <>. http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org/.
105. Oswald A.J. Happiness and economic performance. Economic Journal 1997, 107:1815-1831.
106. Oswald, A., & Wu, S. (2009). Well-being across America: Evidence from a random sample of one million U.S. Citizens. University of Warwick working paper. <> Accessed 18.06.10. http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/academic/oswald/oswaldwuwellbeing2009.pdf.
107. Oswald A., Wu S. Objective confirmation of subjective measures of human well-being: Evidence from the U.S.A. Science 2010, 327:576-579.
108. Powdthavee N. Economics of happiness: A review of literature and applications. Chulalongkorn Journal of Economics 2007, 19(1):51-73.
109. Powdthavee N. Putting a price tag on friends, relatives, and neighbours: Using surveys of life-satisfaction to value social relationships. Journal of Socio-Economics 2007, 37(4):1459-1480.
110. Powdthavee N. Are there geographical variations in the psychological cost of unemployment in South Africa?. Social Indicators Research 2007, 80(3):629-652.
111. Propper C., Jones K., Bolster A., Burgess S., Johnston R., Sarker R. Local neighbourhood and mental health: Evidence from the UK. Social Science and Medicine 2005, 61:2065-2083.
112. Putnam R. Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community 2000, Simon and Schuster, New York.
113. Roback J. Wages, rents, and the QoL. Journal of Political Economy 1982, 90:1257-1278.
114. Robinson D.T., Murray-Rust D., Rieser V., Milicic V., Rounsevell M. Modelling the impacts of land system dynamics on human well-being: Using an agent-based approach to cope with data limitations in Koper, Slovenia. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems 2012, 164-176. 10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2011.10.002.
115. Rosen S. Hedonic prices and implicit markets: product differentiation in pure competition. Journal of Political Economy 1974, 82:34-55.
116. Rosen S. Wage-based indexes of urban quality of life. Current Issues in Urban Economics 1979, 74-104. John Hopkins Press, Baltimore. P. Mieszkowsi, M. Stratzheim (Eds.).
117. Royuela V. Modelling QoL and population growth. The case of the Barcelona metropolitan area. Spatial Economic Analysis 2011, 6(1):83-109.
118. Royuela V., Moreno R., Vayà E. Influence of QoL on urban growth: A case study of Barcelona, Spain. Regional Studies 2010, 44(5):551-567.
119. Runciman W.G. Relative deprivation and social justice 1966, Routledge and Kegan Paul, Henley.
120. Savageau D. Places rated Almanac 2007, Places Rated Books LLC, Washington, DC.
121. Schneider M. The QoL in large American cities: Objective and subjective social indicators. Social Indicators Research 1975, 12:495-509.
122. Sen A. On ethics and economics 1987, Blackwell, Oxford.
123. Shapiro J.M. Smart cities: Quality of life, productivity, and the growth effects of human capital. Review of Economics and Statistics 2006, 88(2):324-335.
124. Shiller R.J. Irrational exuberance (2nd ed.) 2005, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
125. Smith A. The theory of the moral sentiments 1759, Liberty Classics, Reprint, Indianapolis, 1952.
126. Smith D. The geography of social well-being 1973, McGraw-Hill, New York.
127. Smith S.J. Home price dynamics: A behavioural economy?. Housing, Theory and Society 2011, 28(3):236-261.
128. Steines D.N., Fisher W.D. An econometric model of intraurban location. Journal of Regional Science 1974, 14:65-80.
129. Stimson R., Marans R. Objective measurement of QoL and quality of urban life. Investigating quality of urban life 2011, 33-54. Springer, Dodrecht. R.W. Marans, R.J. Stimson (Eds.).
130. Stimson R., McCrea R., Western J. The Brisbane-south east Queensland region, Australia: Subjective assessment of quality of urban life and changes over time. Investigating quality of urban life 2011, 185-208. Springer, Dodrecht. R.W. Marans, R.J. Stimson (Eds.).
131. Theodossiou I. The effects of low pay and unemployment on psychological well-being: A logistic regression approach. Journal of Health Economics 1998, 17:85-104.
132. Thorndike E.L. Your city 1939, Harcourt, Brace, and Company, New York.
133. Tiebout C.M. A pure theory of local expenditures. Journal of Political Economy 1956, 64:416-424.
134. Townsend P. Deprivation. Journal of Social Policy 1987, 16:125-146.
135. Van Parijs P. Real freedom for all: What (if anything) can justify capitalism? Oxford political theory 1997, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
136. What's wrong with a free lunch? 2001, Beacon Press, Boston, Mass. P. Van Parijs (Ed.).
137. Veblen T. The theory of the leisure class 1899, MacMillan, New York.
138. Warr P.B. Age and occupational well-being. Psychology and Aging 1992, 7:37-45.
139. Watkins C., McMaster R. The behavioural turn in housing economics: Reflections on the theoretical and operational challenges. Housing, Theory and Society 2011, 28(3):281-287.
140. Wells N.M., Donofrio G.A. Urban planning, the natural environment and public health. Encyclopedia of Environmental Health 2011, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-52272-6.00480-3.
141. Whisler R.L., Waldorf B.S., Mulligan G.F., Plane D.A. QoL and the migration of the college-educated. Growth and Change 2008, 39:58-94.
142. Wilkinson R., Pickett K. The spirit level: Why equality is better for everyone 2009, Allen Lane.
143. Winkelmann L., Winkelmann R. Why are the unemployed so unhappy?. Economica 1998, 65(257):1-157.