Very nice topic and very inspiring too:) There are papers and books on definition and measuring happyness in relation to space we live in, wether home, place or a city. You could see about "geography of happyness", Richard Florida, citing Daniel Gilbert. Then,  research about  the relation between a client and an architect, and what are the tools to achieve apropriate satisfactory design for the particular, less technical needs of a client in "Design through Dialogue", Teresa von Sommaruga Howard. I am sure all Jan Gehl's books contain some relevant material for your research, about livable places and cities. David Harvy is also speaking about the cities we wont and the people we wont to become in cities we, planners and architects,  make:)  Good luck and enjoy!    

Thank you for the resources. I will have to look them up. In some of my RG searches, I found that there are a few scales people have used and analyzed it. I have to look deeper into the scales they used and how it works to see if it something I could use in my own studies.

The true measure of well-being depends on the amount of service provided in exchange for what could be a boost. Many of the parks today are competing the quality of service among them.

H. K. Hisham,

Would you mind explaining more?

I myself, would not have considered well-being as a service and a boost, or a give and take relationship. Is the service/gift what is provided to you or you to it? Is the boost/take what you reap or is it a benefit? Are you relating well-being as a mutual relationship or a sort of survival/primal instincts? In your example of a park, is it a more aggressive relationship than providing a green space for people who need attention restoration? Is there more politics to well-being that need to be considered/competed with?

Or am a completely misunderstanding your comment and you are describing something much more in the realms of proper stewardship? If I need to clarify please let me know.

Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832)—the English jurist, social reformer, and founder of utilitarianism—he of the "greatest happiness of the greatest number [as] … the measure of right and wrong", cannot have had spirituality in mind when he designed the Panopticon. (That was a proposed circular set-up for penitentiaries, with a shuttered inspection house at the center: all inmates, stationed in individual cells around the perimeter, would think they were being observed, night and day, thereby leading to effective control of behavior by a single watchman. Apparently, Bentham conceived the basic plan as being equally applicable to asylums, child care facilities, hospitals, sanatoriums, and—wait for it—schools.)

There are agricultural, commercial, educational, government, industrial, medical, military, religious, residential, and transport buildings, not forgetting nonbuildings such as arenas, barriers, bridges, carports, parking lots, roller coasters, storage structures, etc. (So, it helps to clarify what type of building one has in mind since each generates different experiences as we pass through them, or in the case of residential buildings stay there.) The built environment is the setting and backdrop by which we live our lives: in more ways than one, beyond primordial functions such as safety and shelter, the buildings (and spaces) we associate with—willy-nilly—impact community life (and conversely privacy), physical activity, psychological interest, and well-being (including health). Where there has been concern for the aesthetics of place, buildings can literally resonate with significance.

Built environments are constructed for social reasons: so, their designs set social consequences in motion, whether they were intended or not, and even the humblest buildings come to acquire socially ascribed meanings. A typical definition of a built environment, in this instance from Canada, is that it contains "the basic services that are needed to keep a society running". In the 21st century, this definition is dated: if only because the world's population is increasingly urban, there is a need for urban design and architecture to connect in more rewarding ways to users. Beyond basic services, offered at minimal environmental cost, cities should fulfill emotional, physical, and social needs; to note, in light of the psycho-social isolation that urbanization paradoxically aggravates, design and architecture should help people discover and engage in relationships.

And so, yes, with apologies for the long preamble: spirituality is important. We do not just "exist" in built environments; we interact with and derive important meanings, both positive and negative, from them. Spaces, places, and buildings are not mere props in our lives: with spirituality, they can come to symbolize personal histories and shared events in extended relationships with families, communities, and wider culture. (Almost in opposition to the earlier definition, cities have been described as repositories of collective memory.) It is not for nothing that architects and designers often talk about atmosphere, beauty, connection, poetics, and other ethereal aspects of a place: their intention is to help people find greater satisfaction in their surroundings. In "Spirituality in Place: Building Connections Between Architecture, Design, and Spiritual Experience" (2013), written toward the Architectural Research Centers Consortium's 2013 Architectural Research Conference at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, March 27–31, Robert Birch and Brian Sinclair articulate a framework for exploring spirituality in the built environment.

True happiness is NOT dependent on external circumstances.

(Anguttara Nikaya)

---

"external" = external with respect to the true/real Self, i.e. "external" includes the body (including the ego, the false self) and all phenomena external to it.

First, I noticed Chloe didn't use the word 'happiness' as one of the concepts she is seeking understanding, but it has easily become folded into the discussion - why is that? A word that needs much more conceptual analysis is 'spiritual'. Also, how does 'meaning' enter into the query?

The state of well-being is impossible. Nothing is truly "being"; everything is "becoming."

Essays on the theory of art by Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy (PDF attached).

As Olivier Serrat implied, architecture should have a lot to say about that. Also, I cannot help but think of Feng Shui. That's what feng shui is all about, isn't it? Also, the Japanese Zen gardens and decoration serve to define enclosed spaces both inside and outside, and arrange objects in such a way that the whole promotes spiritual calmness and well-being.

Spiritual environment is the overall development of AURAS spread in the vibratory forces of our cosmic environment . This spiritual environment helps any spiritual person who take the advantage right from beginning either under a spiritual teacher or inner forces of divinity within inspiring him under a intuition , & requisite guideline for the development .

Irrespective CASTE,CREED,& RELIGION every incarnates have offered a version for the guideline of entire human beings .For prayer ,meditation , & our divine master or our divinity within always help us to take a right course of our action of our life .But human beings with their positive & negative traits keep their mind wavering & take a different course of action of life.

This is  my personal opinion 

For me, your subject is intensely important and relevant. It is the core of the Gospel: "for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Ro. 14:17). This past year we have been going through a time of personal tragedy and my health has declined and I've been in severe pain. At first, I was depressed, fighting the situation, mad at God, etc. I then submitted it all to Him and am now at peace, no longer depressed, am coping much better, although I still am in severe pain, have lost a lot of weight and sleep little - have been housebound for 8-1/2 mos, lying down pretty much for 2 mos. I am grateful for His presence and steps are being taken to hopefully change my physical situation soon. My point is that releasing things to God and His Spirit rushing in with His peace and comfort, makes all the difference. I am also better able to give to my loved one in need. When I'm in better health - yes, I believe that being in nature, hiking, walking amongst trees/lakes/beaches/nature feeds our souls in ways nothing else can - God created us this way. That's why so many people love it - whether they love God or not. Wait 'till nature (inc. animals) is redeemed - can't imagine how incredible that will be!

 Dear Chloe,

The external natural environment and our own bodies are a conglomeration of five gross elements which are Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Ether having the characteristics of smell, taste, sight, touch and sound respectively. It is called Prakriti which is meta physical concept in the Samkhya stream of  Indian philosophy. Hence we are in a state of well being when we recognise our internal elements and be in tune with the natural flow of the elements.

Our build elements i.e. what we built to reside, work and pray if built in line with natural principles contributes to the development of spirituality and well being. Indian thought had put this down as a science of  built environments which is termed as "Vastu Shastra". In brief, it lays down the method of selection of a site, the direction of doors, windows, rooms, the materials to be used and so many other matters all with the objective of maximising benefits from the elements of nature and to benefit the occupants. It will be nice if this could be looked up as a pre-step to the thesis.  

Thank you for your inputs. I also agree on the opinion and belief that the environment is made up of spiritual elements whether we consider it a spirit body, auras, or energies. I believe that the way we understood our environment in these terms affected our health and even our culture and belief systems and how we interact with our spaces. I would love to study and take on this approach. However, I have progressed my studies (you can see the update and more recent questions based on my research project) in a more basic direction. Reason being, the reality of the perspectives of people today, especially in the US based on personal and relations perspectives, is that God does not exist but good people, actions, and our own internal happiness does. Even if I am wrong in this perspective statement, spirituality is personal, immeasurable, and inappropriate for me to impose my beliefs by doing a study on a subject so undefinable as a whole among society. Thus my basic approach is to see if the way we are building and living now, improves and serves our modern and cultural well-being. We are building commercial buildings that support well-being and health but what are we doing for the home that we spend the other half of our time? We want indoor and outdoor health but what is being done at home. This is a large question and requires a bigger break down. Thus, I am choosing to see how people interact in their space, view it, etc. What is their routine? Does the built environment support their lifestyle? What do they see wrong in modern residential buildings? What is being done right?

I think you may find Gregory Bateson's work valuable in connecting some of the threads of your work.

Bateson, G. (1985). Mind and nature: A necessay unity. London: Flamingo.

Bateson, G. (2000). Steps to an ecology of mind. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

When we make architecture we mediate between ourselves and the rest of the environment. This is often in practical terms (shelter), sometimes symbolic (say, the Pantheon in Rome). Often the two work together, but even the former embodies ideas that will have consequences for how we understand our place in the world and act in it.

I think the concept of emotional, affective, and urban atmospheres and the other related fields discuss this topic.

Spiritual wellness acknowledges our search for deeper meaning in life. When we're spiritually healthy, we feel more connected to a higher power. We have more clarity when it comes to making everyday choices, and our actions become more consistent with our beliefs and values