building communities of wellbeing urban systems

Creating Vibrant Creating Vibrant CommunitiesCommunities

Creating Flourishing Communities of Wellbeing and Happiness

Mark Anielski

September 17, 2013

Spirit in Service for Vibrant Spirit in Service for Vibrant CommunitiesCommunities

Mark Anielski

Creating Flourishing

Communities of Wellbeing and

Happiness

Creating Flourishing Communities of Well-being and Happiness

Mark AnielskiCo-founder, Genuine Wealth Inc.

Author, The Economics of Happiness: Building Genuine Wealth September 17, 2013

I have a dream.....

To co-create economies of well-being.

"One can not change an existing system; one must create a new system that makes the old system obsolete"

--- Buckminster Fuller

every journey begins with a vision

WellBeingthe final frontier

The ‘road map’ to aneconomy of WellBeing

We are in midst of an asset devolution

wherewealth is being

redefined

Happiness: our common yearning for a flourishing good life

Channel Rock, Cortes Island, British Columbia

Thomas Aquinas

What is the Good Life?

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.The Bhuddha

Happiness results from a good birth, accompanied by a

lifetime of good friends, good children, health, wealth and a

contented old age...and virtuous

activity.(Aristotle)

ecology oikos (household) logia (knowledge)

Shuswap Lake, British Columbia

A renaissance in economics and business

economy oikos (household)

nomia (management)

We must reclaim

the spirit of words

Where I play

JenC.H.O

Stephaniecare-holder

MarkMoney Hunter

Reneecare-holder

GenuineTo live authentically

To be true to our values

WealthThe conditions of wellbeing

Too much and for too long, we seemed to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things…. The Gross National Product (GNP) counts air pollution and cigarette advertising…Yet, GNP does not allow for the health of our children or the joy of their play. IT measures neither our wit, nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning..... GNP, measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.”

Robert Kennedy March 16, 1968

Measuring What Matters

financial capital

Virtues

Values

Human Capital

Nunavut, Canada

(People): Mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing conditions of individuals in an organization that include, health, skills, knowledge, capabilities and aspirations.

Social Capital

Relationships, trust and networks amongst and between colleagues, customers, suppliers and friends.

Natural Capital

Natural resources (renewable and non-renewable), land, water, air, and ecosystem assets.

Built Capital

Built CapitalThe produced goods

-- machinery, equipment, technology,

buildings, roads, and patents -- that provide benefits to

their owners by helping produce other goods and

services.

Financial Capital

Money, cash, stocks, bonds, derivatives, and other financial assets (and liabilities).

Happiness(Greek: eudamonia)“well-being of spirit“

A sense of well-being, resulting from achieving excellence in the fulfillment of one's functions. -- Aristotle

50% Our genes

and upbringing

The SCIENCE of wellbeing

USA

$37,562 GDP per capita

Life Satisfaction Index: 7.4

Bhutan

$1,969GDP per capita

Life Satisfaction Index: 7.6

10% our wellbeing is

related to our income,

education, and where we

live

40% of our wellbeing comes from our

relationships with others!

What puts a chill on happiness?

Loss of spouse

Loss of job/work

Which Canadian communities are the happiest?

The Happiest Communities in Canada

Canadian average = 4.26

Source: Based on Does Money Matter: Determining the Happiness of Canadians. Canadian Centre for Living Standards. November 2010.

Measuring Returns to Happiness

Source: Based on Does Money Matter: Determining the Happiness of Canadians. Canadian Centre for Living Standards. November 2010.

What are the determinantsof happiness in Canada?

Source: Based on Does Money Matter: Determining the Happiness of Canadians. Canadian Centre for Living Standards. November 2010.

#1. Sense of belonging to local communities(higher in smaller communities, rural areas and Atlantic Canada.)

Source: Based on Does Money Matter: Determining the Happiness of Canadians.

Canadian Centre for Living Standards. November 2010.

Quebec has the lowest sense of

belonging

Nunavut the highest

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 105-0501 - Health indicator profile, 2009

Kelsey Cartwright

#2. Perceived mental health

Source: Based on Does Money Matter: Determining the Happiness of Canadians. Canadian Centre for Living Standards. November 2010.

Perceived health, very good or excellent (percent of

population)

Quebec 61.1

Yukon 59.1

Nova Scotia 59.3

Newfoundland 57.5

Ontario 61.2

Canada 60.5

Alberta 61.4

PEI 61.9

Saskatchewan 58.7

Manitoba 60.2

Nunavut 47

British Columbia 58.6

New Brunswick 55

NWT 51.8

#3. Physical activity level

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 105-0501 - Health indicator profile, 2009

Building an Economy of Genuine Wealth

`

Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park, Canada

#4. Stress levels

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 105-0501 - Health indicator profile, 2009

#5. Being married

#6. Being a recent immigrant

#7. Being unemployed

Building Economies and Businesses of Well-being

Bhutan’s Gross National HappinessBhutan’s New Economic Paradigm based on well-being and happiness

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck the fifth Dragon King of Bhutan

Prime Minister Jigme Yoser Thinley

In Bhutan (a Buddhist kingdom) personal spiritual fulfillment is not just a spiritual pursuit, it is government policy.

My role is to help create conditions that will help our people find happiness.

The Genuine Well-being Balance ‘Sheet’City of Edmonton, 2008

Source: Anielski Management Inc. 2009. The Edmonton 2008 Genuine Progress Indicator Report: The State of Economic, Social and Environmental Wellbeing for the City of Edmonton. Prepared for the City of Edmonton.

Building an Economy of Well-being

for Tahiti

A New Balance SheetCity of Leduc Genuine Well-being Index, 2006

Cooperative Economies Emilia-Romagna (Italy)

Businesses with Soul: people and planet before

profit

Ray AndersonFounder

Interface Inc.

“Doing well by doing good.”“We have a new vision: to become a leader in industrial ecology by first becoming a sustainable corporation and

eventually a restorative enterprise.” (1934-2011)

Personal Genuine Wealth

Individual Wellbeing

HouseholdWellbeing

CommunityWellbeing

Business/EnterpriseWellbeing

Flourishing

Vibrant

EudamoniaHappiness

Flourishing

Canadian Index of Wellbeing

Sustainable Abundance

A successful enterprise knows the assets most important to their success and how to manage and minimize the liabilities or risks to well-being

A successful community and enterprise knows the assets most important to their success and how to manage and minimize the liabilities or risks to well-being.

A successful enterprise knows the assets most important to their success and how to manage and minimize the liabilities or risks to well-being

Safe Communities

Wellbeing, By Design

Field, B.C.

Creating Vibrant Creating Vibrant CommunitiesCommunities

Last lecture: Tuesday October 1

George Cuff

Starting Vibrancy at the Top – Local Government

Last lecture: Tuesday October 1

George Cuff

Starting Vibrancy at the Top – Local Government

www.urbansystems.ca