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Happy Cities?

This year, Archifest explores the possibilities of developing cities into an apparatus for ‘Happiness’ — an often elusive but a quintessential component of human aspiration. Happy Cities postulates a more refreshing way to benchmark quality built environments and sustainable urban settings.

With pressing issues of environmental upheavals, extensive inequalites, proliferation of slums and depletion of natural resources, what part can the urban and architectural fraternity play to engineer “happiness” in these trying conditions? What can we pursue in this new index of urban living in a commercially domineering climate that propagates idiosyncratic or iconic, rather than social aspirations in architecture? How can urban spaces and buildings be generators of social cohesion, with positive contributions to the community and built environment?

Through a collection of built and speculative architectural and urban projects with varying socio-economical, political and cultural conditions, Happy Cities sets different yardsticks and definition of sense of place and spaces, to challenge conventional notions of sustainable urban living. Offering a glimpse of the bold new world that awaits us, Archifest proposes our measure of happiness, and shares solutions, even utopian ideals to enhance the development of our cities as sites for a thriving and sustainable urban, cultural and social life.

Through the month of October various events will be organized for audience for different backgrounds, age group and culture. Do look out for the wide spread of events e.g. exhibitions, forum, architectural tours, workshops, social events and fringe events.