By Liv Klein

Human happiness is profoundly affected by urban design, which can determine the quality of our relationships and lead to positive social interactions, says Canadian author Charles Montgomery, who wrote Happy City: Transforming our Lives Through the Built Environment.

“Our cities really can influence the way we feel,” Montgomery said at a UCSB Arts and Lectures event earlier this month.

Charles Montgomery, author of Happy City, during his May UCSB talk sponsored by UCSB Arts and Lectures and the UCSB Reads program run by the Library.

Montgomery’s appearance was co-sponsored by UCSB Reads, a one-book, reading program that brings the campus community together to discuss a timely issue. The UCSB Library has handed the book out for free and faculty have integrated it into course work across multiple disciplines. The author lecture is a key plank of the annual program.

Happy City advocates strategic urban design to aid social well-being and sustainability. Though the book was first published a decade ago, organizers felt its message was particularly relevant to the Santa Barbara community, which is experiencing a dire shortage of affordable housing.

Transforming spread out, single home suburban neighborhoods into walkable, communal collections of buildings can not only provide more housing, but develop healthier and happier communities, Montgomery said. Socially connected people live longer and are happier, he added, and we must transform the way we think about our urban environments. 

“It’s about relationships,” he said. “If you want to save the world, you have to give people the chance to live close together.”  

The author shared images of his multistory apartment complex in Vancouver, Canada, showing garden space that replaces single-use yards, balconies that face each other to promote daily interactions with neighbors, and even the building’s own group chat where humor and trust marks the interactions of residents.

News coverage continues below the Q & A

A Timeless and Timely Choice, says Alex Regan of UCSB Reads

On UCSB’s campus in 2023, copies of Charles Montgomery’s ‘Happy City’ Seem to appear everywhere, spilling out of backpacks, piling up in kitchens of homes shared by students, and even at the beach for a casual afternoon read. 
For the past seven years, UCSB librarian Alex Regan has directed UCSB Reads, a one-book, common reading program which began in 2006. A book is introduced after the new year, distributed freely through the library, and integrated into winter and spring coursework. 
Each summer, A group of students, faculty and staff select A New book for the following year. Regan says this year’s selection addresses urban equity, sustainability and happiness, speaking to the concerns of those who live in Santa Barbara right now. She sat down recently to discuss why ‘Happy City’ has become a must-read on campus this year.  

Q. What’s at the core of UCSB Reads’ current book, Happy City?

Alex Regan, manager of UCSB Reads, in her office with a copy of this year’s selection Happy City, by Charles Montgomery

A. The book really looks at the intersection of happiness studies and urban design and encourages us to think about how our built environment and our neighborhoods contribute, or don’t contribute, to our happiness… Certainly, housing issues are a huge issue, [and] transportation, all of which really intersect with environmental concerns. We felt that it was an important book for all of these reasons. Also, coming out of the pandemic we are all struggling a little bit with rebuilding community. So, the emphasis that Charles Montgomery puts on feeling connected to your community and to Your neighbors and neighborhood just feels like a really timely issue. 

Q. How does Happy City stand out from previous UCSB Reads books? 

A. UCSB Reads has never before tackled the topic of urban design and how we live in our neighborhoods.

Q. The book came out in 2013.  What makes it still relevant to UCSB’s campus today in 2023?

A. I will say that the book is a little bit dated and the author himself recognizes that it was written in 2013. He’s much more focused now on trying to include issues of equity and access to affordable housing. And those are issues that he [addresses] in his campus talk. Why Right now is a good time to read the book is that the city of Santa Barbara is leading the State Street Master plan project to sort of re-envision downtown Santa Barbara. Isla Vista and Old Town Goleta are also looking at a Master Plan. 

Q. UCSB Reads is encouraging professors to integrate the book into their course loads. What departments do you see Happy City best suited for and why? 

A. We felt that this book could appeal to multiple disciplines, so I don’t think we had one in mind, in particular. Geography was a natural partner, but our hope was that it could appeal to really many, many different departments…even just a chapter can be incorporated in so many different disciplines.

Q. Why should UCSB students read Happy City? How does it relate to them?  

A. I think students who read the book may look at the neighborhood/community they live in with new eyes… We sometimes think a big house or lots of private space will make us happy, when feeling connected to your neighbors and your community is actually much more significant.

Q. What are your hopes for how Happy City will affect the UCSB community? 

A. I hope that it will transform the way people think about their neighborhoods… Somebody that read the book said to me that he thinks differently now about some of the issues we are facing in Santa Barbara. For example, alternative transportation, bicycling, and housing. So, I hope that, as an outcome, people will realize that we are not stuck with the environment that we have, that there is possibility for change, we just need to be aware of these possibilities.

Vertical housing, as Montgomery calls it, is not only affordable but has helped him get through difficult life events, providing support after the stress of ending a 10-year relationship. “The social element is even more important than income when it comes to social happiness,” Montgomery said. 

Walking and biking also create happier cities, research shows. “People who drive longer commutes to work, report being less happy and are more likely to be divorced after 10 years,” he said.  “People who are walking are happier, healthier, and more productive at work.” 

Montgomery and his team carried out an experiment in New York, giving residents a monitor that measured their happiness levels throughout the day. Happiness was higher where streets were walkable, with vibrant and interesting sidewalks. Even some greenery resulted in spikes of arousal. When parks and gardens are prioritized over asphalt, people move through the city at a slower pace and trust goes up, Montgomery explained. 

In a neighborhood where people felt less encouraged to walk, data showed that they were less open to talking to strangers. But in a walkable neighborhood, people reported more trust in their neighbors and believed there was a greater chance that their wallet would be returned if it was dropped on the street. 

UCSB Reads’ 2023 featured author, Charles Montgomery, gave a lecture earlier this month. Photo by Emma Avery

In his book, Montgomery cited the former mayor of Bogota, Columbia who prioritized bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure over automobile space. He named other progressive cities, such as Copenhagen, Denmark, where single-lane, narrow streets force vehicles to drive slower. He advocates slowing down a city as much as possible, using methods such as creating physical barriers that favor safer streets for bicyclists and pedestrians. 

“We need to change the perception of our city from a machine that moves people through very quickly, to a machine that builds social connection,” Montgomery said.

He praised Santa Barbara as well, saying it has done a great job designing to promote walking and biking with methods such as transforming the main street into a no-vehicle zone. “State Street is such a treasure,” he said. 

Alex Regan, Events and Exhibitions Librarian at UC Santa Barbara, says Montgomery’s message is helpful for students coming out of post-pandemic life and facing discouraging issues like climate change and economic pressure. 

“We think of our built environment as very difficult to change but we can see from the book that change is possible,” Regan said. 

Suzanne Shilstone, a third-year environmental studies major at UCSB, was one of the many students that left the talk feeling inspired. “The idea that resonated with me most was that urban design influences the ways people perceive and use their environment,” she said. “The built environment can drastically affect one’s happiness if it is built to fit the needs of the people.” 

Montgomery’s urban vision feels hopeful, she said, at a time when climate change and post-pandemic recovery have stressed her and her peers. “He talked about how constructing cities in certain ways can really impact the overall well-being of a community, which I found very eye opening.”  

Liv Klein is a third-year UC Santa Barbara student majoring in Environmental Studies. She covered this lecture and interviewed the manager of UCSB Reads for her Writing Program course Digital Journalism.