A proposal by the World Happiness Foundation · 2026
Las Rozas — City of Happiness
An urban operating system of measurable, relational well-being.
The Well-Being Hub connects leadership, schools, businesses, public services, and citizens in one shared strategy of human flourishing. Las Rozas de Madrid can become the flagship City of Happiness in Spain and in Europe.
Free to be · Aware to evolve · Happy to share
Mission: 10 Billion Free, Conscious & Happy by 2050
The ecosystems
Five ecosystems, one city
The World Happiness Foundation works through five ecosystems. A City of Happiness is where all of them meet in one place, at the scale of a whole population.
Cities of Happiness
Las Rozas and Pinecrest: cities organized around measurable, shared well-being.
Schools of Happiness
Education pilots: teachers trained, student voice heard, emotional well-being in the classroom.
Businesses of Happiness
CBL · CWO · WellTech: the flourishing of people as strategy, not perk.
Hospitals of Happiness
Health-system well-being: healing pain at its roots and protecting those who do the healing.
Destinations of Happiness
Well-being tourism: places people leave lighter than they arrived.
The full framework
From pain to flourishing.
The Hub maps pain with the GPTM, transforms it through Shadow → Gift → Essence, and measures flourishing with the Wheel of Happiness and Well-Being. It does not choose between healing and thriving: it does both in the same movement.
Shadow (GPTM): 7 domains of pain. Only 1 of the 7 is visible to conventional systems.
Essence (Wheel): 9 spheres. Fundamental Peace as the active presence of well-being.
The Las Rozas paradox
One of Spain's highest-income municipalities lives alongside 36% of young people reporting unwanted loneliness and 37% of Spaniards living with mental health problems. High income is not well-being: closing that gap is the work.
Global Pain & Trauma Map
The 7 domains of human pain.
The GPTM organizes all human pain into 7 scales. Each domain is measured, mapped, and matched with a response that already exists — or could exist — in Las Rozas.
Individual / Psychological
Depression, anxiety, PTSD, shame. 37% of Spaniards affected. Las Rozas response: Municipal Mental Health Plan, Ancla.life, prevention.
Relational / Social
Loneliness, attachment wounds, isolation. 36.4% of young Spaniards report unwanted loneliness. Response: intergenerational programs, 6,000+ active seniors, neighborhood clubs.
Collective / Cultural
Transgenerational trauma, cultural erosion, loss of shared ritual. Response: annual well-being festival, auditorium and theatre, arts within Schools of Happiness.
Structural / Systemic
Precarity, discrimination, institutional betrayal. 600,000 mental-health work absences in 2023, an all-time high. Response: participatory budgeting, CBL/AENOR, Hub Innova.
Existential / Spiritual
Emptiness of meaning, lack of purpose. 42.7% of young people fear the future. Response: mindfulness in parks, retreats in the Guadarrama area, life-purpose programs.
Somatic / Biological
Chronic pain, addiction, exhaustion. 111M packs of anxiolytics a year; insomnia up 59%. Response: well-being trails through Guadarrama, community sport, sleep and nutrition programs.
Environmental / Planetary
Eco-anxiety and nature deficit. 75% of young people report climate anxiety. Response: Las Rozas Solar, participatory reforestation, Cuenca Alta del Manzanares Regional Park.
The GPTM makes pain visible so it can be transformed — what is measured can be healed.
“Fundamental Peace is not the absence of pain… it is the transmutation of its energy into love and compassion.”
Luis Miguel Gallardo
GPTM → Wheel crossmap
Shadow → Gift → Essence.
Every domain of pain has a corresponding sphere in the Wheel of Happiness and Well-Being as its flourishing counterpart — and a Shadow → Gift → Essence passage that guides concrete transformation in Las Rozas.
Wheel of Happiness & Well-Being
The 9 spheres of flourishing.
Each sphere combines My Happiness (personal) and Our Well-Being (community) indicators. It is the city strategy framework: every sphere measured, with an owner and a program.
Ecological
Sustainability and nature: Las Rozas Solar, 8.31 ha of woodland, Guadarrama trails, participatory reforestation.
Communal
Bonds and belonging: 18,000+ seniors, 6,000+ active, volunteering, agoras, neighborhood clubs.
Social
Interpersonal relationships: youth loneliness as the signal the Hub addresses; third places and intergenerational programs.
Cultural
Cultural vibrancy and creativity: auditorium and theatre, well-being festival, arts in Schools of Happiness, multiculturalism.
Health
Physical and mental well-being: Municipal Mental Health Plan, Ancla.life, prevention, sport, nature.
Spiritual
Purpose and transcendence: mindfulness, Guadarrama retreats, presence practices in schools and workplaces.
Intellectual
Learning: Schools of Happiness, CWO, WellTech, Las Rozas Innova, European University.
Financial
Economic stability: financial education, entrepreneurship, Hub Innova, CBL/AENOR certification.
Civic
Participation: Citizen Well-Being Council, participatory budgeting, public dashboard.
Pinecrest, Miami (2024) — the 1st City of Happiness in the US — built its strategy on these 9 spheres: 350+ residents measured, 73% happy, 92% valuing green space. A tested, scalable model.
The instrument
Measure the city from day one.
The baseline is not a promise — the instrument already exists. The Ecosystems of Happiness Diagnostic measures a city across 54 KPIs, the 7 domains of the Global Pain & Trauma Map, the 9 spheres of the Wheel of Happiness and Well-Being, the Shadow → Gift → Essence framework, and the Fundamental Peace Index. Las Rozas already has its own profile inside the diagnostic, alongside Pinecrest.
Guided assessment · No data is uploaded — results live in your browser until shared.
Hub architecture
The Well-Being Hub: 7 layers of the urban operating system.
The Hub is not a municipal program: it is an urban operating system built on measurable, relational well-being. Its success depends on being institutionalized as a system of decision, operation, and measurement.
Decision
Direction layer — the Hub Council. Sets the annual mission, approves programs, and validates coherence across the 5 pillars and 9 spheres. City hall · businesses · WHF as the coherence system.
Design
Hub Operating System: translates the 5 pillars and 9 spheres into programs. Systemic design · Activation · Alliances · Intelligence.
Production
The Hub's 5 pillars: Leadership · Schools of Happiness · Businesses of Happiness · Community & Belonging · Observatory.
Engine
Activity generation: a production system for urban interventions with 5 filters — diagnosis, actors, 5 pillars + 9 spheres, experiential design, and pilot.
Intelligence
Observatory and system learning: 9 spheres, 5 pillars, hard and soft indicators. It measures, interprets, feeds back, and corrects.
Relational
Structural intangibles: trust, belonging, collaboration, shared purpose. Not decorative values — operating infrastructure.
Cycle
The complete system in real flow: Council → Design → Programs → Activities → City → Impact → Observatory → Adjustment.
Operating structure
Team sizing
Four single lines of direction: political (Hub Council), systemic (WHF), executive (Hub Director General), and operational (the pillars). Pilot phase: 18–22 people. Full Hub: 46–50 people.
Hub Council
Mayor's office · council departments · businesses · WHF (7–10 people)
Hub Director General
Direction of the urban well-being system (2–3 people)
Systemic Design
WHF + Hub · 3 people
Hub Operating Office
Central delivery · 6 people
Impact & Data
Chief Impact Officer · 4 people
Pillar teams
Leadership 2 · Schools 3 · Businesses 2 · Community 3 · Observatory 2
Cross-cutting teams
Activity Design 5 · Alliances & Ecosystem 4 · Intangibles 3
The 5 pillars
Where the real change happens
The Hub will not duplicate existing programs: it will connect and amplify them through a shared framework, measurable indicators, and common rituals.
Leadership & Governance
Transforms how the city decides: sessions with the mayor and executive team, a Well-Being Champions network, a municipal well-being dashboard (GovTech), decisions grounded in well-being.
Schools of Happiness
Transforms education and family life: a pilot cohort with educator tools, student voice circles, emotional well-being and mental health in the classroom. WHF has trained 60,000+ teachers across the Americas.
Businesses of Happiness
Transforms work: CBL/AENOR certification, Chief Well-being Officer training, a WellTech Lab with Las Rozas Innova and Hub232.
Community & Belonging
Transforms the social fabric: intergenerational programs with 18,000+ seniors, neighborhood agoras, structured volunteering, community rituals.
Observatory
Transforms what the city knows about itself: baseline and tracking across the 9 spheres, a public well-being dashboard, and an annual report, with European University as academic ally.
Why Las Rozas, why now
Existing assets the Hub connects.
Las Rozas is already building many of the ingredients a City of Happiness needs. The Hub moves these assets from parallel excellence to coordinated impact.
A pioneering Municipal Plan
35 participatory sessions and 10 council departments. A Plan 10 built on the 5 axes of well-being. Ancla.life services active.
Las Rozas Innova & Hub232
50+ startups and a consolidated ecosystem. Top 7 Intelligent Communities 2025. A bridge between entrepreneurship and community.
School Health Board
Active school psychology. A Families Pact on smartphones. European University as academic ally.
18,000+ active seniors
6,000+ take part in municipal programs. Municipal Volunteer Point. Intergenerational programs already running.
A privileged setting
8.31 ha of woodland. Cuenca Alta del Manzanares Regional Park. Las Rozas Solar. A participatory reforestation project.
Pinecrest, Miami (2024)
350+ residents measured. 73% happy. 92% value green space. The 1st City of Happiness in the US. A tested, scalable model.
A stable budget
~€135M municipal budget · ~95,000 residents · high income per capita · fiscal balance. The Hub's Pilot Phase (~€2.5M) is just 1.8% of the budget — less than the annual cost of public debt (5.3%).
Cities of Happiness network
No city moves alone.
Cities of Happiness share a framework, a measurement instrument, and their learning. Five cities hold the network today — designated first.
Las Rozas, Madrid
Europe's flagship — proposal in motion: the Well-Being Hub as an urban operating system.
This cityLas Rozas Municipal Mental Health Plan
The crisis the Hub transforms.
218 pages, 35 participatory sessions, 10 council departments. Data that grounds an integral approach.
of Spaniards live with mental health problems
of young people (15–29) report mental health problems
packs of anxiolytics sold (2022)
mental-health work absences (2023), a record
of young people have had suicidal ideation
of young people report unwanted loneliness
of minors have been victims of cyberbullying
self-harm has tripled in 20 years
The 5 axes of well-being
- Prevention and promotion of emotional well-being
- Training and capacity-building for professionals
- Participation and community
- Innovation and scientific grounding
- Care, rescue, and accompaniment
Plan 10 for Well-Being and Mental Health
Training
Professional capacity-building
Social Action
Altruism and volunteering
Screens
Healthy digital use
Reading
An essential activity
Awareness
Campaigns and habits
Innovation
Scientific grounding
Activation
Participation
Resources
Guides and protocols
Rescue
Psychological care
Communication
Public outreach
Investment and sustainability framework
Budget context.
Las Rozas' budget is ~€135M (2025) and balanced. The Hub's Pilot Phase (~€2.5M) equals ~1.8% of it: less than the annual cost of public debt.
Where each municipal euro goes
- Basic services
- 43% · €58.2M
- Personnel
- 34.5% · €46.5M
- Education, culture, sport
- 24% · €32M
- Social services
- 5.1% · €7M
- Debt
- 5.3% · €7.1M
- Well-Being Hub (Year 1)
- ~1.8% · €2.5M
Pilot Phase — Year 1
18–22 people
- Personnel (20 × €55K)
- €1.10M
- Operations (programs, pilots)
- €0.75M
- Technology (dashboard, AI)
- €0.28M
- Community activation
- €0.40M
Scaled Hub — Years 2–3
40–50 people
- Personnel (45 × €60K)
- €2.70M
- Expanded operations
- €1.85M
- Advanced technology
- €0.60M
- Activation + festival
- €0.80M
Sustainability: municipal funding + corporate sponsorship + European funds (Horizon Europe, NextGenEU, ERDF) + training programs (CWO, CBL). External grants from the Community of Madrid and the State account for ~15% of the budget and are almost always earmarked.
Roadmap
12 months: co-creation and activation
Designing the alliance
- Co-design workshop
- Scope definition
- Steering committee
- WHF × City Council agreement
Diagnosis and co-creation
- Stakeholder mapping
- Focus groups
- Surveys with 1,000+ citizens
- Baseline across the 9 spheres and dashboard
Activation and pilots
- Leadership laboratory
- Schools of Happiness pilot
- Businesses of Happiness with CBL
- Community rituals and WellTech Lab
Measurement and scaling
- Year 1 impact
- Consolidated public dashboard
- Year 2 roadmap
- Positioning: Las Rozas, City of Happiness
Impact simulator
Move the sliders. See the city change.
Set the scale of engagement and watch the reach compound through families, neighborhoods, and workplaces.
Illustrative model over a population of ~95,000, based on WHF program averages. Not committed figures.
Outcomes
What would success look like?
- A recognized platform with visible leadership.
- 1,000+ citizens measured across the 9 spheres.
- Active pilots in Schools, Businesses, and Community of Happiness.
- A municipal well-being dashboard in operation.
- A pilot team of 18–22 people.
- Las Rozas recognized across Europe as a City of Happiness.
- Well-being integrated into municipal management.
- A full team of 46–50 people.
- A sustainable model: municipal + corporate + European.
- CBL/AENOR active and the model exported.
Recommended next steps
How it begins
- 1
Co-design workshop
A half-day session between the City Council, Las Rozas Innova, and WHF. Alignment of vision and expectations.
- 2
Scope confirmation
Define Year 1 scope, sponsorship, pilot centres, governance agreements, and the financial model. Open the diagnostic
- 3
Collaboration agreement
Signing of a framework agreement or memorandum of understanding between WHF and the Las Rozas City Council.
- 4
100-day launch plan
Launch with public communications, well-being baseline design, and initial stakeholder participation.
Let's begin the conversation
We would be honored to present this proposal to the Las Rozas de Madrid City Council, to Las Rozas Innova, and to the businesses and schools who wish to walk with it.
Email the FoundationSources: Las Rozas Municipal Mental Health Plan (218 pages, 35 participatory sessions, 10 council departments); Las Rozas municipal budget (2025); Las Rozas Innova and Hub232; Intelligent Communities Forum (2025); Village of Pinecrest, Florida (2024); Las Rozas Well-Being Hub v1.7, World Happiness Foundation.