Page 9 - Case study: Smart Dubai Happiness Meter in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2. The smart project(s)

2.1. Vision and content

The Happiness Agenda measures and impacts people’s happiness through an iterative framework
to discover, change, educate and measure people’s happiness as shown in Figure 2. The Happiness
Agenda benefits from access to innovative technology and a broad partnership network for a unified
approach utilising the best tools at Smart Dubai’s disposal.

Shared Understanding: Today, city leaders and decision makers act from an informal knowledge
base with assumptions about what factors influence happiness in a city. Smart Dubai decided to
build a unified definition of happiness, beginning with a scientifically aligned cultural baseline and
understanding of basic and higher needs in Dubai. This formally defined, shared understanding
became a guide for strategic activities in Dubai to prioritise happiness.

Without a shared understanding of happiness factors in the city today, neither the private nor the
public sector are able to fully consider the impact on happiness from city planning and customer
experiences. Building on a culturally relevant scientific model, Smart Dubai aimed to define and
promote new policies and approaches to focus the city and its people on happiness.

Needs Fulfillment: The Happiness Agenda aims to address the needs of people that are essential
to enhancing happiness for both the short and long term. The Happiness Agenda discovers these
needs, creates changes that support them, creates awareness so that others can support them
proactively, and innovates towards ‘happiness’ by satisfying individuals’ affective, emotional, basic,
cognitive and deeper eudaemonic needs.

The Happiness Agenda as indicated in Figure 2 has four strategic portfolios; namely Discover,
Change, Educate, and Measure.

Discover: A primary portfolio in the Happiness Agenda is the ‘Discover’ portfolio, which is geared
towards ensuring clear and shared understanding amongst stakeholders. The essence of this
portfolio is to discover rather than assume facts and concepts that lie at the heart of subsequent
activities. This will result in enhancing the efficiency and chances of success of these activities.

Change: This is the portfolio that is primarily responsible for creating change in Dubai with
regards to Happiness. This change will be made by having a clear strategy towards HX (Happiness
Experience), as well as producing policies and associated awards that encourage activities and
services that enhance happiness. The portfolio also contains programs aimed at delivering customer
interventions as well as city transformations that improve the quality of life in Dubai.

Educate: An important part of increasing happiness in Dubai is to create awareness, train and
educate customers and organization with regards to happiness activities and its culture. This is
done by disseminating relevant content and delivering events that promote such understanding.
Such activities are undertaken with partners in various sectors, as well as positioning Dubai as an
international thought leader in the science and practice of happiness.

Smart Dubai Happiness Meter | Dubai, UAE 3