Mapping Well-Being

Mapping Well-Being explores the deep connection between urban environments and personal and collective well-being. Using an innovative online story capture tool and interactive map, the project gathers lived experiences to reveal how urban design influences emotions, behaviors, and overall quality of life. By mapping these stories, the project highlights the spaces that foster well-being and those that generate challenges.

This initiative serves as both a resource and a call to action. Local residents can discover places that support their well-being, while urban planners, policymakers, and designers gain invaluable insights to shape more inclusive and health-supportive cities. Mapping Well-Being is a collaborative effort created through multiple co-creation activities, bringing together diverse perspectives to transform urban spaces into environments that nurture connection, resilience, and thriving communities.

At its core, Mapping Well-Being is an open and collaborative initiative that bridges personal experiences with urban transformation. By collecting and visualizing stories through an interactive map, the project embraces a regenerative and ecosystemic approach, ensuring that diverse voices contribute to shaping urban spaces.

Through open participation, the project fosters collective intelligence, empowering communities to articulate their needs and aspirations. The insights gathered provide a data-informed yet deeply human perspective on urban well-being, equipping decision-makers with tools for designing more inclusive and health-centered environments. Ultimately, Mapping Well-Being champions a participatory design ethos—where cities evolve not just through expert planning but through the lived experiences of the people who inhabit them.

About the Designer

Olivia Horge is a social innovation designer based in Montréal, Canada. With a master’s in design for distributed innovation and a specialization in human relations, she crafts participatory experiences that spark connection, generate shared solutions, and drive meaningful impact. As a member of Percolab Coop—an international network of cooperatives—Olivia supports organizations in navigating socio-ecological transformation. By provoking consciousness, creativity, and experimentation, she helps reimagine collaboration and cultivate new ways of working together.