The world's first mindfulness city is taking shape in Bhutan

In Bhutan, an urban project proposes a new way of living: more present and connected to what truly matters. Mindfulness City was born with a simple yet transformative principle: what if well-being were the starting point for planning a city? Inspired by the philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH), which has guided the country's public policies for over four decades, the city is being built to cultivate quality of life comprehensively, considering emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental aspects.

Designed by the Danish firm BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), the city of Gelephu, in southern Bhutan, occupies approximately 1,000 km² and was designed in harmony with thirty-five natural rivers and canals, respecting the landscape and the path of the elephants that inhabit the region. Over 70% of the area will be preserved as native forest, ensuring a vibrant ecosystem that breathes with the city, not despite it.

What's being designed is more than an urban space. It's a new way of being in the world. Quiet streets, accessible temples, green corridors, trails, and centers for emotional and spiritual care are part of a network designed to slow down. Haste gives way to presence. Time regains its rhythm. Stimuli diminish, and inner life finds space to emerge.

What we can learn from this project is direct and profound: silence can be planned, time can be respected, and the city can be an ally, not an obstacle, to well-being. Living well doesn't need to be an exception or a future goal. It can be part of everyday life, if the spaces around us are designed with this purpose in mind.

This perspective also inspires AG7. We believe that well-being isn't a detail; it's a foundation. And that architecture has the power to create not just places to live, but contexts that foster a more conscious and balanced life.