Assessing happiness policies in Seoul: citizen participation in urban planning

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social isolation and mental well-being have been public concerns for South Korea for more than a decade. This has led to the development of happiness legislation and promoting happiness as an explicit city policy. As a result, the Seoul Village Community Project was developed to foster citizen participation and community engagement to promote communal ways of living and reduce social isolation. This paper examines the contemporary driver of Seoul’s endeavour to become a happy city and the success and failure in the city’s policy actions. The paper also illustrates how citizen participation has resulted in Seoul’s urban planning and revitalization.