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About

We are a global, multi-institutional, transdisciplinary, open science initiative providing evidence-based spatial and urban policy indicators to advocate for and track progress towards healthy and sustainable cities for all.

The Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities was initiated by the Global Healthy and Sustainable City-Indicators Collaboration to host the indicators developed for The Lancet Global Health series on Urban Design, Transport and Health. It involves a transdisciplinary and multi-organisational partnership among the People, Health and Place Unit of the Prevention Research Center, of the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, USA (website sponsor); the International Society of Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH); the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA); the International Society of Urban Health (ISUH); and the Executive Committee of the Global Healthy and Sustainable City-Indicators Collaboration.

Facts about the observatory

The first iteration of the Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities:

Our goals

Generate knowledge

Provide comparable spatial and policy indicators of healthy and sustainable urban design and planning for cities across the globe.

Monitor progress

Our indicators rely on evidence-based benchmarks, and enable tracking of progress towards cities that maximize health and wellbeing, whilst contributing to climate change mitigation 

Our vision

Be a tool for urban health

Be used as a surveillance, reporting, goal setting, policy making, practical guidance and advocacy tool.

Healthy cities

Encourage the scaling up of healthy and sustainable urban design and planning efforts.

Global city comparability

Provide comparable data on 1000+ cities around the world.

Generate new indicators

Grow to include additional city planning indicators and data.

Goal of the Observatory

The goal of the Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities is to provide comparable spatial and policy indicators of healthy and sustainable urban design and planning for cities across the globe.

The indicators used in our observatory rely on evidence-based benchmarks, and will allow tracking progress for attaining cities that, by design, maximize people’s health and wellbeing, whilst contributing to climate change mitigation.

Be used as a surveillance, reporting, goal setting, policy making, practical guidance and advocacy tool

Encourage the scaling up of healthy and sustainable urban design and planning efforts.

Provide data comparability across multiple cities of the world.

Grow to include additional city planning indicators and comparable data for over 1000 global cities.

Our Guiding Principles

Our principles influence our goals and vision, guide our actions and reflect our commitment to equity, open science and capacity building for long-term sustainability and local impact

Open data and open science

Interdisciplinary Team Science

Global data for local impact

Capacity building and equitable international collaboration

Our Team

GOHSC Co-Directors

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Erica Hinckson

Auckland University of Technology
Auckland, New Zealand

Melanie Lowe
Melanie Lowe

RMIT University
Melbourne, Australia

Spatial Team Leads

Geoff Boeing
Geoff Boeing

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, USA

Carl Higgs
Carl Higgs

RMIT University
Melbourne, Australia

Policy Team Leads

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Deepti Adlakha

Delft University of Technology
Delft, Netherlands

Melanie Lowe
Melanie Lowe

RMIT University
Melbourne, Australia

Membership Lead

Eugen Resendiz copy
Eugen Resendiz

Tecnológico de Monterrey
Mexico City, México

LMIC Outreach & Capacity Building Lead

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Deepti Adlakha

Delft University of Technology
Delft, Netherlands

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee provides strategic oversight of the Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustaniable Cities. Led our two Co-directors, the Executive Committee includes 14 leading healthy cities and geospatial science scholars, who represent the Observatory’s discipline and geographical diversity.

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Deepti Adlakha

Delft University of Technology
Delft, Netherlands

Jonathan Arundel
Jonathan Arundel

RMIT University Honorary
Melbourne, Australia

Geoff Boeing
Geoff Boeing

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, USA

Ester Cerin
Ester Cerin

Australian Catholic University
Melbourne, Australia

Billie Giles-Corti
Billie Giles-Corti

Founding Collaboration Leader
RMIT University
Melbourne, Australia

Voukko Heikinheimo
Vuokko Heikinheimo

Finnish Environment Institute Syke
Helsinki, Finland

Carl Higgs
Carl Higgs

RMIT University
Melbourne, Australia

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Erica Hinckson

Auckland University of Technology
Auckland, New Zealand

Shiqin Liu
Shiqin Liu

Northeastern University
Boston, USA

Melanie Lowe
Melanie Lowe

RMIT University
Melbourne, Australia

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Anne Vernez Moudon

University of Washington
Seattle, USA

Eugen Resendiz copy
Eugen Resendiz

Tecnológico de Monterrey
Mexico City, México

James F. Sallis
James F. Sallis

Australian Catholic University
Melbourne, Australia

Deborah Salvo
Deborah Salvo

University of Texas at Austin
Austin, USA

Jasper Schipperjin
Jasper Schipperijn

University of Southern Denmark
Copenhagen, Denmark

Technical and Research Support Team

Andrés Ballén
Andres Ballen

Web and Scorecard Designer
Colombia

Ryan Turner
Ryan Turner

Research Assistant
RMIT University
Melbourne, Australia

Ruoyu Chen
Ruoyu Chen

Research Assistant
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, USA

Daria Pugacheva
Daria Pugacheva

Research Assistant
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, USA

Working Groups Collaborators

  • Afshin Jafari
  • Ariane Droin
  • Cesar Hernandez Alcaraz
  • Felix John
  • Xavier Delclòs Alió
  • Javier Molina-García
  • Ana Queralt
  • Anna Puig-Ribera
  • Henrique de Mello Cabral
  • Júlio Celso Borello Vargas
  • Marc Dominguez Mallafré
  • Richard Lemoine-Rodriguez
  • Rossano Schifanella
  • Tayebeh Saghapour
  • Ana Moreno
  • Daria Pugacheva
  • Ruoyu Chen
  • Case Garza
  • Ruth Hunter
  • Joanna Valson
  • Giovani Longo Rosa
  • Pau Serra del Pozo
  • Benjamin Büttner
  • Mahtab Baghaiepoor
  • Xiaoyu Cheng
  • Ke Peng
  • Adewale Oyeyemi
  • Kimihiro Hino
  • Gonzalo Peraza

Full Research Team of the 2022 Lancet Global Health Series

Adamu Ahmad Rufai

Maiduguri, Nigeria Team Member

Adetoyeje Oyeyemi

Maiduguri, Nigeria Team Member

Adewale L. Oyeyemi

Maiduguri, Nigeria Team Member

Babatunji Amotara

Maiduguri, Nigeria Team Member

Garba Sambo

Maiduguri, Nigeria Team Member

Joseph Samali Mshelia

Maiduguri, Nigeria Team Member

Deepti Adlakha
Chennai, India Team Member

Ester Cerin
Hong Kong Team Member

Kornsupha Nitvimol

Bangkok, Thailand Team Member

Mark Stevenson

Hanoi, Vietnam Team Member

Minh Hieu Trinh

Hanoi, Vietnam Team Member

Poh-chin Lai

Hong Kong Team Member

Thanh Phuong Ho

Hanoi, Vietnam Team Member

Ana Queralt

Barcelona, Valencia and Vic, Spain Team Member

Andreia Pizarro

Lisbon, Portugal Team Member

Anna Puig-Ribera

Barcelona, Valencia and Vic, Spain Team Member

Cologne, Germany Team Member

Bernhard Inninger
University of Graz

Blaise Kropf

Bern, Switzerland Team Member

Carme Miralles

Barcelona, Valencia and Vic, Spain Team Member

Carolina Duarte
Lisbon, Portugal Team Member

Claire Cleland

Belfast, Northern Ireland Team Member

Claudia Viana

Lisbon, Portugal Team Member

David Vale

Lisbon, Portugal Team Member

Delfien Van Dyck

Ghent, Belgium Team Member

Frank Witlox

Ghent, Belgium Team Member

Guillem Vich Callejo

Barcelona, Valencia and Vic, Spain Team Member

Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij

Ghent, Belgium Team Member

Jan Dygryn

Olomuc, Czechia Team Member

Jasper Schipperijn

Odense, Denmark Team Member

Javier Molina-Garcia

Barcelona, Valencia and Vic, Spain Team Member

Jens Troelsen

Odense, Denmark Team Member

Joan Carles Martori

Barcelona, Valencia and Vic, Spain Team Member

Josef Mitas

Olomuc, Czechia Team Member

Karel Fromel

Olomuc, Czechia Team Member

Klaus Gebel

Graz, Austria; Cologne, Germany, and Bern, Switzerland Team Member

Lars Breum Christiansen

Odense, Denmark Team Member

Lea Manakova
Palacky University in Olomouc

Marcel Beyeler

Bern, Switzerland Team Member

Marta Rofin

Barcelona, Valencia and Vic, Spain Team Member

Matte Dewinter

Ghent, Belgium Team Member

Michal Vorhcek

Olomuc, Czechia Team Member

Nico Van de Weghe

Ghent, Belgium Team Member

Oliver Konrad

Graz, Austria Team Member

Paula Santos

Lisbon, Portugal Team Member

Ruth Hunter

Belfast, Northern Ireland Team Member

Sara Ferguson

Belfast, Northern Ireland Team Member

Sien Benoit

Bern, Switzerland Team Member

Susana Aznar-Lain

Barcelona, Valencia and Vic, Spain Team Member

Sylvia Titze

Graz, Austria Team Member

Xavier Delclos

Olomuc, Czechia; Barcelona, Valencia and Vic, Spain Team Member

Billie Giles-Corti
Adelaid, Meblourne and Sydney, Australia Team Member

Carl Higgs
Adelaid, Meblourne and Sydney, Australia Team Member

Erica Hinckson
Auckland, New Zealand Team Member

Ester Cerin
Hong Kong Team Member

Jonathan Arundel
Adelaid, Meblourne and Sydney, Australia Team Member

Melanie Lowe
Adelaid, Meblourne and Sydney, Australia Team Member

Pinki Bhasin
Adelaid, Meblourne and Sydney, Australia Team Member

Suzanne Mavoa
Auckland, New Zealand Team Member

Tamara Bozovic
Auckland, New Zealand Team Member

Alex Florindo
Sao Paulo, Brazil Team Member

Deborah Salvo
Mexico City, Mexico Team Member

Eugen Resendiz
Mexico City, Mexico Team Member

Hannah Hook
Baltimore, Seattle and Phoenix, USA Team Member

Jacob Carson
Baltimore, Seattle and Phoenix, USA Team Member

Jennifer D. Roberts
Baltimore, Seattle and Phoenix, USA Team Member

Jim Sallis
Baltimore, Seattle and Phoenix, USA Team Member

Ligia Vizeu Barrozo
Sao Paulo, Brazil Team Member

Marc Adams
Baltimore, Seattle and Phoenix, USA Team Member

Alex Kleeman
Australia

David Flores
USA

Grant Schofield
New Zealand

Hannah Badland
Australia

Howard Frumkin
USA

Kelli Cain
USA

Larry Frank
Australia

Mark Nieuwenhuijsen
Spain

Nevile Owen
Australia

Nick Cerdera
USA

Olga Lucia Sarmiento
Colombia

Perla Mansour
Northern Ireland

Rachel Davey
Australia

Rodrigo Reis
Brazil and USA

Sarah Bekessy
Australia

Sarah Foster
Australia

Spartial Vision
Australia

Terry Conway
USA

Thiago de Sa
Geneva, Switzerland

Thu Nguyen
USA

Yuquan Zhou
USA

Partners and Sponsors

People Health and Place logo
PRC logo

Key Global Partnerships

ISBNPA Logo
ISPAH Logo
ISUH Logo

10

Plan periodic reassessments to monitor progress

Your team can continue to work together to advocate for progress and serve as a resource for city leaders.

Repeating the calculation of indicators every few years provides occasions to celebrate progress, identify continuing, and update goals.

9

Present results to city leaders & build consensus for an improvement plan

You are now ready to organize one or more meetings or events to present results to city leaders and encourage their use in setting goals to improve policies and environments in your cities.

It is useful to have people from multiple sectors involved in the presentations.There are recordings of local events in which indicators are presented to city leaders on the website.

8

Submit your data, Scorecard, and Report for inclusion on the Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities website

Send your city’s finalised Scorecard and/or Report to info@healthysustainablecities.org, for upload to the Global Observatorywebsite.

Your city will officially be included in the 1000 Cities Challenge, and city teams will become part of our Global Healthy and Sustainable City-Indicators Collaboration.

7

Compute spatial and policy indicators using the Global Healthy & Sustainable City Indicators (GHSCI) Software

Check your data and indicator results to ensure they are as accurate as possible. Validation checklists and the Global Observatory team will assist with validation.

Please contact our team for support: info@healthysustainablecities.org

6

Compute spatial and policy indicators using the Global Healthy & Sustainable City Indicators (GHSCI) Software

Use the GHSCI Software to:

  • Configure and analyze spatial data
  • Upload the Policy Checklist for analysis
  • Generate indicator outputs (e.g., maps, summary reports for validation and comparison)
  • Please contact our team if you require support using the GHSCI Software

Policy indicators include:

Metropolitan transport policy with health-focused actions

Air pollution policies for transport and land-use planning

Requirements for public transport access to employment and services

Employment distribution requirements

Parking restrictions to discourage car use

Minimum public open space access requirements

Street connectivity requirements

Provision of pedestrian infrastructure and targets for walking participation

Provision of cycling infrastructure and targets for cycling participation

Housing density requirements

Minimum requirements for public transport access and targets for public transport use

Publicly available information on government expenditure for different transport modes

Spatial indicators include:

Population with access to fresh food market or supermarket

Population living in neighbourhoods above minimum density threshold for WHO physical activity target

Population with access to regularly running formal public transport (<20 mins)

Population living in neighbourhoods above the median walkability across cities

Population living in neighbourhoods above minimum connectivity threshold for WHO physical activity target

Population with access to any public open space

5

Collect data

Policy data

  1. Identify the relevant level(s) of government for your analysis, and the government sectors responsible for the policy areas covered in the Policy Checklist.
  2. Conduct a search of government or public websites and repositories to identify relevant policy documents.
  3. Find and enter relevant policy details into the 1000 Cities Challenge Policy Checklist.

Spatial data

  1. Confirm the existence of the required spatial data.
  2. Download data for analysis of your urban area.
DataPurposeRequired
OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap .pbf file with coverage of the region (and time) of interest; this could be an historical planet file, or a region-specific excerptYes
Population GridsPopulation distribution raster grid or vector data with coverage of urban region of interest. GHS population grid (R2023) is recommendedYes
Region BoundaryVector boundary for identifying study region (e.g. geopackage, geojson or shp).Conditional
Urban RegionGlobal Human Settlements Layer Urban Centres database and/or administrative boundary for urban region of interestConditional
Transit FeedsCollections of zipped GTFS feeds to represent public transport service frequencyNo
OtherOther custom data, such as points of interestNo

Further information and guidance on how to collect policy and spatial data is available on the Global Observatory website, Resources tab

4

Seek advice from country/regional mentor

The Global Observatory team, including country/regional coordinators can act as mentors or guides and will be able to answer questions related to the data collection plan, policy and spatial indicators computation, and generation of the Scorecard and Report.

3

Generate a Data Collection and Analysis Plan

  • Download and familiarize yourself with the Policy Checklist.
  • Review the steps for the Indicators Software available from the Global Observatory website, Resources tab.
  • Develop a policy data collection plan and identify who will collect the data.

2

Attend or watch an information and/or training session