Dubai: The Smart Dubai Office (SDO) marked the first anniversary of its Happiness Agenda, launched last year to boost people’s happiness across the city.
Adopted by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in May 2016, the agenda is a unique science-based and psychological approach that measures the happiness of individuals in the city and works to establish an environment that promotes happiness and positivity.
In essence, the agenda aims to anticipate and address people’s needs in order to promote happiness in the short and long terms.
Several initiatives have been launched by SDO over the last year to implement the agenda in Dubai. In less than one year of the happiness agenda, Dubai scored 90 per cent average in the happiness index in 2016, measured by over six million votes at 1,115 Happiness Meters in Dubai.
“Our goal is to increase the happiness score in Dubai from 89 per cent to 95 per cent by 2021,” Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, director-general of the Smart Dubai Office, has reiterated.
“We want to spread happiness throughout Dubai and among all segments of society. We strive to make people feel content with their experience in Dubai — whether they are citizens, residents, or visitors,” she added, noting that the Happiness Meter is a great testament to the Dubai Smart Office’s commitment to prioritising people’s happiness and satisfaction.
At Smart Dubai, officials are working to catalyse and support the city’s transformation into a world-leading smart city, she explained. “We follow a thorough scientific approach to measure people’s happiness across the city and work to develop and sustain it.”
