The role of regional and local good life indicator initiatives in shaping regional futures for sustainability

Abstract

Abstract Initiatives centred on good life indicators have emerged as important arenas for rethinking regional futures beyond pessimistic narratives or growth-oriented development models. Adopting a place-based perspective, this article explores how such initiatives articulate shared visions of the future of social and ecological sustainability. Drawing on a comparative analysis of 12 European cases, combining documentary research, interviews and focus groups, it shows how alternative pathways can link good life with sufficiency. These trajectories move beyond conceptions of decline or conventional growth-oriented development paths, pointing instead towards regional futures grounded in the recognition and revalorisation of existing socio-ecological relations.