SAGES    is    grounded    in    a    novel    conceptual    and    operational    framework    that    goes    "beyond-GDP"    to    encompass    well-being approaches, which include economic growth, inclusiveness, and sustainability, analysed from a place-based perspective. SAGES   project   will   provide   an   in-depth,   evidence-based,   and   conceptual   understanding   of   sustainable   well-being   determinants and   patterns,   will   address   the   limitations   of   conventional   approaches   to   happiness   research   by   addressing   key   environmental and societal constraints, and introduce a new interconnected “place-based” framework, culminating with the Smiley Index. The   project   will   create   a   novel   multi-layered   analysis   framework   and   methods   for   well-being   assessment,   focusing   on   the identification   and   evaluation   of   place-based   inequalities   within   the   paradigm   of   sustainable   and   inclusive   well-being   and   will support the collaboratively design of spatial-based policy recommendations for future 'beyond GDP' scenarios.

Specific SAGES objectives: • To   provide   an   in-depth   evidence-based   and   conceptual   understanding   of   the   current   sustainable   well-being   determinants and   patterns   at   different   geographical   scales,   from   the   perspective   of   the   place-people   inter-conditionalities   and   the relationships between economic growth, environmental quality, and social capital at community level • To   address   the   limits   of   the   conventional   approaches   in   order   to   capture   the   critical   environmental   and   societal   constraints on   happiness   research   and   to   provide   a   new   interconnected   “place-based”   framing   culminating   in   a   novel   and   replicable index (Smiley index) • To   collect   new   geo-localised   data   (NUTS2   level   for   EU;   LAU2   level   for   Romania)   and   construct   an   open-access   large-scale spatial   database   as   well   as   to   provide   new   quantitative   and   qualitative   methods   and   tools   for   collecting   data   and   ecological transformation monitoring • To   develop   an   innovative   multi-layered   analysis   framework   and   innovative   methods   (based   on   the   Smiley   index)   for   well- being   assessment,   and   to   identify   and   assess   the   critical   factors   of   place-based   inequalities,   based   on   the   new   paradigm   of sustainable and inclusive well-being • To   model   the   impact   of   new   drivers   of   change   (Green   Deal,   4.0   technologies,   security   risks,   post-COVID)   on   people   and places,    in    order    to    identify    new    human-based    resilience    approaches    to    Just    Transition    strategies    and    the    well-being patterns dynamics • To   co-design   spatial-based   policy   recommendations,   in   the   context   of   prospective   ‘beyond   GDP’   scenarios,   including   the well-being “dematerialisation” and the de-growth paradigms • To   overcome   the   current   research   barriers   of   the   Alexandru   Ioan   Cuza   University   of   Iasi   (with   a   wider   impact   of   the Romanian   research   performance),   increasing   the   excellence,   international   visibility   and   competitiveness,   while   providing new international cooperation opportunities