For about a decade, the notion of the ‘good life’ has come into the focus not only among political actors, but among scholars in the social sciences and in cultural studies alike. Theories of ‘good life’ consider material and economic wellbeing as only one element of a flourishing life, highlighting instead its multidimensional nature and taking into account equal living conditions and the relationship with the natural environment. The notion of the ‘good life’ is thus particularly suitable for a discussion of urban spaces with their complex interplay of ecological, social and technological factors. It provides an integrated framework for the study of urban transformations and perspectives of future cities. Using this framework, this special issues brings together scholars from various disciplines who engage with the following questions: Which role does our relationship to our natural environment and the other living beings that are part of it play within an overarching understanding of ‘good life’? How can the interests of different urban stakeholders – human and non-human – be reconciled? How was and is the ‘good life’ conceptualized by various urban communities around the globe? And how can we rethink cities in order to enable a ‘good life’ for all? 

This edited volume contains contributions by several Worldmaking team members and fellows, among them Matthias Schumann, Hou Shen and Antonie Angerer.