CAN HAPPINESS INDEX STUDY MEASURE LIVEABLE AND SUSTAINABLE CITIES IN MALAYSIA?

INTRODUCTION

Well-being is a positive physical, social and mental state; it is not just the absence of pain, discomfort and incapacity - action of individuals, but from a host of collective goods and relationships with other people. It requires that basic needs are met, that individuals have a sense of purpose, and that they feel able to achieve important personal goals and participate in society. It is enhanced by conditions that include supportive personal relationships, involvement in empowered communities, good health, financial security, rewarding employment, and a healthy and attractive environment. Government’s role is to enable people to have fair access now and in the future to the social, economic and environmental resources needed to achieve well-being. In the fast changing world we live in today, the elements that contribute to our happiness are constantly changing but there are some evergreen or “true blue” ones that will remain come what may. The list may include whether the people have a roof over their head; the cost of living and how much does it take for a family to get by on a daily basis; freedom of expression and to pursue one's interest; and ability for the people to keep safe and thrive in their society. Recent events around the world have shown that social disparity is still a huge problem in both the developed and developing countries, and can become a source of social discord and public unrest. In the face of the high cost of living and inflated property prices, one of the immediate tasks of the Government is to pay more attention to social or public housing, and ensure that people have a roof over their heads. Providing the less-endowed populace with some basic necessities such as a home of their own is tantamount to offering them hope for a better tomorrow.

         In the fast changing world we live in today, the elements that contribute to our happiness are constantly changing but there are some evergreen or “true blue” ones that will remain come what may. The list may include whether the people have a roof over their head; the cost of living and how much does it take for a family to get by on a daily basis; freedom of expression and to pursue one's interest; and ability for the people to keep safe and thrive in their society. Recent events around the world have shown that social disparity is still a huge problem in both the developed and developing countries, and can become a source of social discord and public unrest. In the face of the high cost of living and inflated property prices, one of the immediate tasks of the Government is to pay more attention to social or public housing, and ensure that people have a roof over their heads. Providing the less-endowed populace with some basic necessities such as a home of their own is tantamount to offering them hope for a better tomorrow.

          Happiness is not smiling and laughing all the time. There are many definitions of happiness, or more accurately of subjective well-being. Broadly, individuals have a high level of subjective well-being when they think and feel that their lives are going well. This includes feeling positive emotions, such as calmness, contentment, enjoyment, gratitude and love. It includes cognitive judgements that their life is worthwhile and all the ways in which individuals evaluate their life in positive ways. It does not mean that they are never sad or worried or angry, but that they do not experience chronic levels of unhappiness or stress or anxiety or other negative emotions.

WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT

World Happiness Report recently released and commissioned for the UN Conference on Happiness held in New York was compiled on the basis of survey responses received from 2005 until mid-2011 to "measure the happiness level of 156 countries".These are among the findings of the first ever World Happiness Report, commissioned for the April 2nd United Nations Conference on Happiness (mandated by the UN General Assembly). The report, published by the Earth Institute and co-edited by the institute’s director, Jeffrey Sachs, reflects a new worldwide demand for more attention to happiness and absence of misery as criteria for government policy. The rich Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Finland and Norway took the top three rankings in the report which suggested that nationals of richer countries tend to be happier despite the fact that wealth was not the defining factor for happiness.

     It reviews the state of happiness in the world today and shows how the new science of happiness explains personal and national variations in happiness. The report shows that, where happiness is measured by how happy people are with their lives:

• Happier countries tend to be richer countries. But more important for happiness than income are social factors like the strength of social support, the absence of corruption and the degree of personal freedom.

• Over time as living standards have risen, happiness has increased in some countries, but not in others (like for example, the United States). On average, the world has become a little happier in the last 30 years (by 0.14 times the standard deviation of happiness around the world).

• Unemployment causes as much unhappiness as bereavement or separation. At work, job security and good relationships do more for job satisfaction than high pay and convenient hours.

• Behaving well makes people happier.

• Mental health is the biggest single factor affecting happiness in any country. Yet only a quarter of mentally ill people get treatment for their condition in advanced countries and fewer in poorer countries.

• Stable family life and enduring marriages are important for the happiness of parents and children.

• In advanced countries, women are happier than men, while the position in poorer countries is mixed.

• Happiness is lowest in middle age.

BHUTAN AND HAPPINESS INDEX

Reading about Bhutan and how its much-beloved king places great value on the wellbeing and happiness of his people by inventing the Gross National Happiness index is very inspiring indeed. The fact that the people's happiness is listed as the top priority speaks volume of how much they are appreciated as individuals. Other inspiring aspects that we can take a leaf from include the emphasis on preserving the natural environment and promoting simple and non-intrusive way of living. Despite a deliberate policy to limit the number of tourists allowed to visit Bhutan, an increasing number of tourists are finding their way to Bhutan for its natural beauty and simple way of life. Their simple way of lifestyle means one can get by with less and there is less pressure to chase material wealth.

UNITED KINGDOM AND HAPPINESS INDEX
In November 2010, UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced that, to help guide national policy, the British government would begin to measure the subjective well-being of its citizens. The announcement was the latest evidence of a growing awareness among governments and economists that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and other traditional metrics of economic progress fail to measure the kind of progress that makes life better The British government’s decision to measure subjective well-being (rather than, say, objective measures of mental and physical health) underscored the growing debate about what measurements should replace the outdated focus on economic growth.

     The UK Office for National Statistics has been given the task of choosing several subjective well-being questions to be included in the Integrated Household Survey, the biggest source of social data on the UK after the census. The process has begun with a public consultation, involving both the general population and specialists, about what the focus of these questions should be.The information will allow politicians—as well as the public—to assess the effectiveness of the government’s policies in terms that really matter to people.

MALAYSIA AND HAPPINESS INDEX STUDY : FROM NATIONAL TO CITY

The current challenging economic time is a good time for reflection and we should not waste the opportunity to take stock of where we are heading as a people and a nation. Going by the adage that life begins at 50, Malaysia is still a fairly young nation and adopting more inclusive policies that mobilise the country's rich human and natural resources will be able to cushion the country from any adverse external shocks. In its place is the emphasis on personal virtues and wholesome values of integrity, honesty, generosity and empathy for other people. I believe the promoting of such values will set the foundation for wholesome community and nation building for our country. The Bhutan story must have prompted many of us to start reflecting on our journey of life, and how we have fared in terms of the happiness index. Come to think of it, since the world economy is on the verge of a double-dip scenario and there will be very low or no growth in most nations, some tweaking in national policies and priorities may be what Malaysia needs to see our country and the people through the challenging time? It may be a good idea for us to draw up a Malaysian Happiness Index to measure how our people are faring against the rest of the world.

     In Malaysia's case, the need for concerted efforts to build adequate public infrastructure and housing cannot be over-emphasised as the on-going efforts are still quite fragmented. Instead of involving so many agencies in the execution process, having a dedicated agency as the master planner to oversee the overall planning and execution of the projects will ensure a higher rate of success to benefit more people. Providing enough public housing and other social amenities should be accorded one of the top priorities along with the other economic-based initiatives under the government's Economic Transformation Programme. The sharp increase in prices of goods and services, including that of property, meant people have less disposable income and spending power. These projects will be able to wipe out the many squatters and slumps, and rejuvenate our cities. Focusing on public housing can also provide a cushion for the property market from stagnating during troubling economic times.

     If happiness could be measured via a country's economic performance in gross national product or gross domestic product, then Malaysia would be the world's 51st happiest country. In Malaysia's case, there were a number of factors that led to its 51st ranking. Materialistic prosperity of individuals may have been one thing but wealth, usually an indicator of a person's material wellbeing, was not the only crucial factor in this determination. There were factors such as a person's general disposition, the level of contentment with basic aspirations which were also taken into account. However, Malaysia was ranked 2nd in Southeast Asia, behind Singapore which emerged as the happiest in the region. On a worldwide basis, the island was ranked 33rd out of the 156 countries. Thailand was ranked 52nd, Myanmar landed at 74th position and Indonesia was 83rd.

     The report will also allow politicians—as well as the public—to assess the effectiveness of the government’s policies in terms that really matter to people. The ultimate aim of most policy is to improve lives, but without proper measures of well-being it can be difficult to assess whether this is being achieved. The success of this measurement program depends a lot on exactly how the information is attained and then used, but this announcement may have signaled the start of a Malaysia government agenda which puts well-being, rather than economic growth, at the heart of its public policy. The quality of life for Malaysians improved through better access to healthcare, public transport, electricity and water. Measures were also taken to create a caring society and promote community well-being. Economic development was based on sustainability principles to ensure that the environment and natural resources are preserved so that growth will not come at a cost to future generations.

     Malaysian Urban Indicators Network (MURNInet) can be considered the only method to measure the sustainability of cities in Malaysia. The programme can help local authorities gather information and monitoring data as well as an assessment tool and the determination of the sustainable city indicators. Through this program, each local authority can determine the level of sustainability, monitoring and improving the level of development in their respective areas. Therefore, local authorities take appropriate action to improve their services. Status of sustainability can be the foundation of the local authorities to consider a future program. The Happiness Index study was introduced as one of the indicators under the theme of quality of life that emphasizes the development of community well-being. The aspects taken into account – relationship with family, neighborhood and environmental atmosphere, the interaction between people, the safety of the population, the level of health facilities and the level of local authority services in their area. The data obtained from surveys conducted by the research team with the assistance of officers of local authorities.

CONCLUSION

What makes a liveable city? Liveability is generally defined by performance in three main areas: environmental quality, neighbourhood amenity and individual well-being. Liveability initiatives often meet environmental, economic and equity goals, which are also the elements for the transition to sustainability. Cities around the world are re-examining their urban assets and remaking attention is given to quality of life. Well-being including happiness and life satisfaction, and how this is influenced by the society and city in which a person lives among other factors. A good physical environment provides the foundation for a well-ordered city that can cater to the material and post-material needs of its citizens—the necessary conditions, in other words, for physical and economic vibrancy. Most people tend to associate happiness with feeling good, that is, with a life that offers a variety of pleasures and comforts. Some tend to associate happiness with being able to do whatever they want to do, still others associate it with achieving everything they have set out to achieve in life. Everyone who wishes to can find something that keeps them engaged and energetic in their work and their community, and in that way create a vibrant city..

Futher enquiry about this article kindly contact :

 

DR. AZMIZAM ABDUL RASHID
 Research and Development Division,
 Federal Department of Town and Country Planning,
 Ministry of Housing and Local Government,
 Unit No. 50-12-2B, & 50-13-1, Wisma UOA Damansara,
 No. 50, Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights,
 50490 Kuala Lumpur,
 Malaysia
 email address : azmizam@townplan.gov.my