An innovative study into happiness and wellbeing is being used to shape the future of Brent Cross Town – and we want you to take part.

The ‘Flourishing Index’ is being created by The University of Manchester as a new tool for tracking the collective quality of life in a community.

It will measure categories such as residents’ optimism and self-esteem, which will then be used to help shape the design and management of Brent Cross Town.

What makes this initiative unique is that gaining a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the wellbeing of a community before a new town has been built has not been done before.

If you are local to Brent Cross Town, you may have already been interviewed by researchers from the university over the summer.

You may have also seen one of five new sensors around the area, which will help the study understand how people move around the area, by measuring how much people walk, cycle, scooter or drive in and around the local roads and pavements. The sensors only collect anonymous data, and are based on Geron Way, Brent Terrace, Tilling Road, Claremont Road, and the Hendon Way near the subway leading to and from Tesco.

These sensors have been provided by Vivacity, who are specialists in gathering information on traffic and public highways, and how people use them. All data is collected in line with the rules established by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Data Protection Act. For more information on how the sensors work, visit vivacitylabs.com

Now, as part of the research the University of Manchester team of academics have launched an online survey to better understand the wellbeing of the community.

You can input into the research and be part of the creation of this new initiative by filling in our survey here.

The University of Manchester is also offering each participant the chance to be entered into a prize draw to win one of 50 Love2Shop vouchers. If you’d like to be in with a chance of winning, just enter you email address at the end of the survey.

The Flourishing Index is also supported by Buro Happold’s sustainability team, who are interested in both the social and environmental impact of new developments. You can read more about the research team that are working on the ‘Flourishing Index’ by clicking on the following links: Manchester Urban Institute and Manchester Urban Observatory.