“Designing healthy cities together” is our suggested key theme for the 2027 conference.

Our health is strongly influenced by the environment in which we live. Where we live, work, and how we move around on a daily basis has a direct impact on our well-being. Air pollution, social interactions, lifestyle choices, and the way our environment is designed play a crucial role. Approximately 70% of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer stem from these environmental factors. In our opinion, the question is not whether we need to change, but how.

In Utrecht we have a strong ecosystem in place to address these questions; e.g. Data and Knowledge Hub Healthy Urban Living and the Health Hub Utrecht. In these hubs, we work with governments, companies, knowledge institutions, and residents to develop scientifically based, data-driven, practical, and concrete solutions that improve everyone’s health. Innovative technologies, detailed data, infrastructure, behavioral knowledge, and policy instruments are brought together and shared. In this way, we create solutions that make a real difference.

Suggested topics for building the conference program are for example:

• Evidence-based healthy urban development
• Participation, co-creation and co-designing approaches, including hard to reach populations
• Health in All Policies and Health Equity, including ‘unequal investments for equal opportunities’
• Growing up healthy and Future Generations

In which various subthemes fit, such as:

• Urban exposome and environmental health
• Urban densification, mental health and social cohesion
• Digital twins fostering healthy cities
• Monitoring, learning and continuous improvement

to name just a few.