IN-PERSON Barcelona Livable Cities. Section B

Abstract

A city having all the infrastructural facilities such as housing, health, transport, etc. on affordable terms is generally considered to be a livable city. It is assumed that with all such facilities available around everyone, everyone will be happy. But whether such a scenario is realizable or not will always be under doubt since to make these facilities available for all the inhabitants, we generally need a disproportionate allocation of natural resources. On the other hand, a simpler philosophical concept of defining a livable city is where all the inhabitants are happy and contented irrespective of the infrastructure and facilities available to individuals. Happiness is a state of mind and it primarily depends on individual’s mental condition that has more to do with the emotional support available to the person instead of the physical infrastructure around. In fact, modern infrastructure makes people less dependent on others and thereby results in isolation of individuals and weakening of community feeling. Modernisation has resulted in weakening the capacity of sources that can provide emotional support to the individuals. Measurement of a meaningful community living can be best gauged by analysing the strength of family institution in a society. Unfortunately, the modern civilised world is yet to acknowledge the utility of the family institution that often gets compromised to provide ‘justice’ to individuals. Such a ‘justice’ allowing breaking of a family however, snatches the source of emotional support. To make a society livable, efforts must be made to keep the institution of family flourishing.