EAD09/025 1 8 th European Academy Of Design Conference - 1 st , 2 nd & 3 rd April 2009, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland HAPPINNESS AND ITS ROLE IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN Carolina ESCOBAR-TELLO 1 , Tracy BHAMRA 2 1 Department of Design & Technology Loughborough University 2 Department of Design & Technology Loughborough University ABSTRACT The paper presents a conceptual framework and initial design theory building that aims to understand, map and link happiness and its role in Sustainable Design. It explores the role that products play in peoples’ lives and how the current world structure has driven their design towards unsustainability. Particular emphasis on the social dimension of this structure makes it the focus of this research. The theory building investigates how sustainable design can begin to bridge this social dimension gap and how design can contribute to Happiness. Keywords: Happiness, Social Design, Sustainable Design, Sustainable Lifestyles. 1 INTRODUCTION A country’s progress has traditionally been measured by its GDP; it is also often used to reflect its society’s wellbeing. The higher a country’s GDP, the better their well-being. In simple words, economic growth is taken as an equivalent to progress. But, is this conjecture right? ‘New’ measuring systems (i.e Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), and Gross National Happiness (GNH) among others) are battling to prove themselves as robust and reliable. Jackson and McBride (2005) point out that this ‘battle’ is on one hand raising awareness about the current deplorable state of the world and its societies, and on the other hand raising awareness about sustainable development and its relationship between economic progress, well-being and sustainability. The Happy Planet Index Report (Marks et al., 2006) for example, set a precedent when it bluntly revealed that the countries with the richest economies are not necessarily the happiest. Nor are they efficient at delivering it. It confirms that: 1. Material consumption doesn’t necessarily correlate with happiness. Once you have covered the basic needs (food, shelter and health) the remaining consumption is due to cultural pressure/values. 2. Social Capital (social networks and community) and or intentional activities (i.e. socialising activities, exercising, participating in cultural life, taking an interest in others, and being engaged in meaningful work) is closely linked with happiness. The correlations are complex and out of the scope of this paper, however, their findings set a big question mark as to what progress is under our current societal structures - they have confirmed that our traditional idea of development is inefficient as it has proven that no single country has everything right. The bottom line is that the worldwide societal platform that has been encouraged and pushed forward as ‘successful’ has failed. Changing this structure is an urgent priority. Getting it ‘right’ may make the difference between human survival or its extinction. Furthermore it will provide the suitable context and enable the development of a truly happy planet. As designers are responsible for present material culture, Sustainable Design - within the framework of Sustainable Development- can be used to challenge the abovementioned unsustainable structure. Taking it as the systemic concept it is, it presents an opportunity to ‘organise’ individuals into better civilizations that allow them to fully express, develop and progress into reaching their greatest potential. However, are designers at present equipped to fulfil and bridge this social dimension gap?