The UNSW Cities Institute and Healthy Cities Australia hosted a global conference to explore ideas on how to make urban centres healthier for all.
UNSW Sydney welcomed more than 400 delegates including government ministers, city mayors, experts and policymakers from around the world last week for a global summit on healthier cities.
The 11th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC) featured roundtables, workshops, site visits, walking tours, and keynote speeches. The three-day conference examined ways to share ideas and strengthen partnerships to advance healthier, more liveable communities worldwide. Topics ranged from public health, urban planning, transport, housing and environment to social connection and cultural expression.
Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs said UNSW was proud to host the global event, which is focused on advancing evidence-informed action for healthier, more sustainable and equitable urban environments.
"Hosting AFHC 2026 at UNSW Sydney reflects what we are striving to achieve through our Progress for All Strategy - bringing people together to tackle complex challenges and create positive societal impact at scale," Prof. Brungs said.
"The theme, Healthy Cities for All, speaks directly to our ambition to improve lives through education, innovative research and meaningful partnerships. By connecting global researchers, practitioners, policymakers and communities, this event provides an important opportunity to share ideas, learn from one another and turn knowledge into action that can help create healthier, more equitable communities."
Experts highlighted that healthier cities are built through affordable and secure housing, good design, accessible green space, safe and active transport, strong community connections and policies shaped with the people who live in them.
Designing cities for wellbeing
One panel examined the role of political leadership in creating healthier cities, including through affordable housing and green space. Speakers included NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully, Byron Shire Mayor Sarah Ndiaye and NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Dr Marjorie O'Neill.
The discussion highlighted how the homes we live in shape our health. Minister Scully referred to the 'housing theory of everything' - the idea that there is hardly an economic or social problem in the Western world that is not created or exacerbated by a lack of access to housing.
"That goes right from a good education, escaping domestic violence right through to addressing climate change," Minister Scully said.
"Sydney is the second least affordable city on the planet … and in New South Wales, we haven't been building enough homes for a long, long time."
Minister Scully also discussed work in the NSW Illawarra region, Australia's first urban Renewable Energy Zone that's integrating solar and sustainable design.
"We need to make it easier to build … It can't just be about how many or how quickly. We also need to build places in a more sustainable way," continued Minister Scully.
"That means that people not only have access to a home, but access to a high-quality home … reducing their household bills but also improving their [health]."
NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Dr Marjorie O'Neill said active transport including footpaths were essential to improve health.
Dr O'Neill spoke about the NSW government's Roads to Home Program for Aboriginal communities. She said significant health improvements were observed after active transport solutions were co-designed with local communities.
"By introducing a road and footpath mail could get delivered, the kids could get to and from school and walk around easily and it connected the community."
International perspectives on how to combat climate change and human health risks with nature-based solutions were shared at the Leaders Forum on Healthy Cities.
The Mayor of Kuching North in Malaysia, Dato Haji Hilmy bin Haji Othman, described how his city lowered emissions and promoted healthier communities.
"Our trees, rivers, wetlands and parks are not decoration," Mayor Dato Hilmy said.
"They are climate infrastructure to help cool our city, reduce flood risk, improve air quality, protect biodiversity, and provide spaces that support physical activity and mental wellbeing."
Promoting health through collaboration
UNSW Cities Institute Scientia Senior Lecturer and Conference Co-chair, Dr Jinhee Kim, said the healthy cities movement was about ensuring multiple views and perspectives were heard in urban policymaking.
"This conference truly reflected those values - through the diversity of its participants, the knowledge shared in sessions, and the voices featured in our plenaries," Dr Kim said.
"With 424 participants from 30 countries, half of them Australian and two-thirds practitioners from the field, it was a genuine coming together of the movement from policymakers right down to youth voices. I leave energised and optimistic about the future and the ideas and connections made here will shape our work for years to come."
The event is part of the World Health Organisation (WHO) healthy cities movement - a global social movement championing people, places, planet, participation, peace, and prosperity.
Director, Programmes for Disease Control, WHO Western Pacific, Dr Huong Tran said it was particularly meaningful to return to UNSW nearly 30 years after studying there as a Master of Public Health student.
"Coming back to speak about creating healthier, more equitable, and more resilient communities is both a great honour and a deeply personal privilege," she said.
"As urban populations continue to grow and cities face increasingly complex challenges, the Healthy Cities approach provides a powerful platform for governments, communities, academic institutions, and development partners to exchange knowledge, scale innovation, and transform local successes into collective progress."
