Walt Disney got it wrong. Disneyland isn’t the Happiest Place on earth. It’s Denmark, apparently.
Ranked to be #1 in the UN World Happiness Report, Denmark keeps its citizens pretty pleased with a low perceived business and government corruption, freedom to live as one please, and a strong social support system.

But I think there’s another factor that makes Danes happy but failed to be included in the report and that’s the Danish aesthetic.

Danish Design could be two of the most magical words in the design world.

It means beauty, quality, and good taste. Utter Danish Design to any mid-century modern enthusiast or any urbanism geek and you might just have a two-hour conversation – at the least – ahead of you.

This summer, I walked the streets of the Danish capital with a friend and her lovely daughter. She and her husband – a Filipino expat, have been living in the city for five years. They’ve been there long enough for her to earn a postgraduate degree and conceive and give birth to their beautiful baby daughter.

Exploring the city was a feast for the senses – gorgeous architecture, statuesque blondes on bikes, and scrumptious food. But as an urbanism geek, the city itself was the star for me. Brilliantly laid out, everything – even a modest café kiosk - was simply beautiful.

But I think, more than anything, the one thing that greatly contributed to making this a beautiful city is the Danes' law of Jante. It basically emphasizes on the collective where no one is supposed to standout. The law made the people always think of the bigger picture, I guess. And it could be seen in the way they built everything, especially their city.

Copenhagen just proves that a well-designed and a beautiful city breeds happiness and contentment.