King of Bhutan Announces Plans to Build “Mindfulness City”

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan has announced plans to build a “Mindfulness City” in the country’s south, near Bhutan’s border with Assam, India. Bhutan is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is located in the eastern Himalayan mountains. The newly announced city will be located in the town of Gelephu. “Mindfulness City” will integrate traditional Bhutanese culture, principles from the Gross National Happiness index (GNG), and spiritual heritage. Spanning more than 1,000 square kilometers, the masterplan has structured the city around a series of bridges that will span the area’s 35 rivers and streams. 

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Plans for the city were announced on Bhutan’s 116th National Day on December 17th. It is hoped that “Mindfulness City” will become an economic hub in the region. Designs for the city have been created by the Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG) in collaboration with Arup, a firm dedicated to sustainable development, and Singapore–based Cistri.

Bhutan’s “Mindfulness City” will feature 11 neighborhoods that are each organized around a central public space. This design mimics the principles of the mandala, which has roots in Buddhism. Bhutan’s constitution recognizes Buddhism as the country’s spiritual heritage. 

The new city will be constructed with local materials which will include wood, stone, and bamboo. It will have designated natural spaces, including paddy fields. These natural spaces will help to preserve the region’s biodiversity and provide habitat for wildlife. Additionally, the city will have an international airport, railway connections, a university, a greenhouse, a market, a cultural center, a hydroelectric dam, and a healthcare center which will provide both Western and Eastern medical care. 

The design and principles of “Mindfulness City” reflect Bhutan’s commitment to environmental sustainability. Indeed, this Southeastern Asian country was the first in the world to achieve carbon negativity. This means that the country absorbs more carbon than it emits. This is largely due to extensive forest coverage within the nation. 

Despite the promise of “Mindfulness City”, the project has been met with skepticism by some. This is due to fears that the project could displace local people. These fears can be traced back to the 1980s and 1990s when the Bhutanese government violently displaced the Lhotshampa people, who made up roughly one-sixth of the country’s total population. The large-scale expulsion of this Bhutanese-Nepali ethnic group created over 100,000 refugees. 

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