The Differential City ***** Exposure, Familiarity and Restorative Choice (Spokane, Samuelsson, Urrutia, Zhang, Cheng, Christensen, Liu, Tu, Bryer) · LAPIEZA LAB · Anto Lloveras · Socioplastics · 2026

A city acts on its inhabitants less as a stable container than as a succession of unequal exposures. Streets, squares, routes, greenery, façades, shade, services and social intensities do not operate separately; they form a variable field through which bodies move, attention is allocated, familiarity accumulates and recovery becomes more or less possible. This shifts the problem of urban well-being away from the search for a universally optimal environment. Spokane et al. make the first decisive move by disaggregating the streetscape to lot and block level: health-relevant urban form becomes legible only when measurement descends below the scale of generic neighbourhood indicators and identifies the physical features through which social processes can occur. Urrutia del Campo reaches a parallel conclusion from Madrid’s public squares. 

Psychology of Place, Ecology of Mind: Environmental Psychology as Cultural Infrastructure Between biodiversity and built environments lies the psychological weave of contemporary life

This project, under the banner of "Human Life and Biodiversity," reframes environmental psychology not merely as a research field but as a cultural infrastructure that weaves together scientific inquiry, social impact and ecological sensitivity; emerging from Spanish and Portuguese academic contexts, it articulates a continental voice in the global discourse on psychological-environmental interdependence, positioning the discipline as both descriptive and generative: describing patterns of perception and behaviour while generating strategies for ecological responsibility and urban resilience; within this framework, researchers explore a broad spectrum of themes including landscape perception, environmental quality, and ecological responsibility, but what makes the project exceptional is its hybrid methodology, combining scientific rigour with an accessible, divulgative tone aimed at catalysing broader public and institutional engagement; for instance, the work of José Antonio Corraliza, central to this initiative, highlights the psychological need for nature in urban lives, reinforcing the idea that biodiversity is not only an ecological variable but a psychological necessity; in this sense, environmental psychology functions as a double interface: on one hand it diagnoses the stress, discomfort or alienation provoked by degraded environments, and on the other, it proposes restorative strategies embedded in landscape, design and communication; as such, this collection of contributions operates as both mirror and prototype, reflecting the current concerns of urbanised societies while offering tested interventions to foster wellbeing and sustainability through place attachment and ecological awareness.

Rethinking Progress Through Wellbeing

In a pivotal gathering that transcended conventional metrics of national prosperity, the Wellbeing and Public Policy Conference convened a diverse spectrum of international academics, governmental strategists, and policy analysts to deliberate how the evolving science of wellbeing could reshape the architecture of public governance. Prompted by the influential Stiglitz Report, which challenged the sufficiency of GDP as a proxy for societal progress, the event hosted 45 in-depth papers traversing philosophical frameworks, measurement techniques, empirical insights, and practical policy applications. Central to the discourse were four keynote contributions: Andrew Clark dissected the Easterlin paradox, exploring how income comparisons distort the relationship between wealth and happiness; Robert Cummins advanced the controversial set-point theory, suggesting individual wellbeing maintains a stable baseline; Paul Frijters interrogated the resilience of happiness in response to life’s adversities, offering evidence for psychological recovery and second chances; and Robert MacCulloch linked affective states to macroeconomic decisions, illustrating how emotions like contentment and anxiety can influence fiscal policy. A rich tapestry of presentations examined pressing themes such as children’s wellbeing, intergenerational poverty, gendered impacts of labor participation, and regional deprivation, while also showcasing progressive frameworks like Gross National Happiness and the Oxfam Humankind Index as viable alternatives to monolithic economic indicators. Scholars underscored the inadequacy of one-dimensional statistics and called for multidimensional, culturally sensitive indicators capable of capturing lived realities and informing equitable resource distribution. Particularly urgent was the call to integrate the perspectives of children, disabled populations, and marginalized groups, often excluded from standard wellbeing metrics. Operationally, institutions like the New Zealand and Australian Treasuries unveiled emerging wellbeing frameworks designed to embed subjective wellbeing into decision-making processes, marking a shift toward proactive, human-centered policy. The conference crystallized a growing consensus: that wellbeing should not be a secondary outcome of economic activity, but rather the explicit goal of modern governance. In conclusion, the event catalyzed a broader movement toward embedding empathy, equity, and evidence at the core of public policy, advancing a paradigm in which human flourishing supplants profit as the ultimate measure of progress.

Morrison, P.S. & Weijers, D., 2012. Wellbeing and Public Policy Conference: A Report on the June 2012 Conference in Wellington, New Zealand.