City Know-how
A resource
from Cities & Health journal and partners
Unlocking
Urban Research
for Practice
We support city-makers and the communities they serve
in implementing sustainable development goals with evidence.
Our journal Cities & Health builds a close relationship with cities, driving the progress of urban health. We enable researchers to test new knowledge for real-world impact and equip practitioners with the latest findings to improve health and climate outcomes.
Through this platform, access a curated repository of posts derived from our peer-reviewed articles, featuring City Know-how posts; one-page summaries that translate scientific findings into practical tools for urban decision-makers.
Join our mission of building urban development skills for Research, Planning, Design, and Policy as instrumental steps toward creating healthier and sustainable communities.
Review concepts for goal alignment
Seek information on how to improve outcomes
Find references on spatial and climate solutions
Be informed about evidence-based policies
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About our Know-how articles...
Discover scientific insights across diverse topics, focusing on improving human health by enhancing urban ecosystems.
We explore more than 14 topics and subtopic areas organized into four distinct contribution types: City Know-hows to make research accessible, Case Studies to support planning, Visual Essays to illustrate design approaches, and City Shorts to showcase how policies are applied and put into action.
Built environment refers to the human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from buildings and parks or green space to neighborhoods and cities that can often include their supporting infrastructure, such as water supply or energy networks.
Subtopics:
- Urban Planning
- Urban Design
- Housing
Environmental sustainability is the ability to maintain an ecological balance in our planet’s natural environment and conserve natural resources to support the wellbeing of current and future generations.
Subtopics:
- Environment and health
- Environment and city
- Climate
The Health and Social Care sector consists of any organisation which provides healthcare support to people, for example hospitals, dentists, and specialist support like physiotherapy, and social care support, for example, nursing homes, foster caring, and nurseries.
Subtopics:
- Health and society
- Public health policy and practice
Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both the physical properties of Earth’s surface and the human societies spread across it.
Subtopics:
- Physical geography: nature and the effects it has on people and/or the environment.
- Human geography: concerned with people.
- Environmental geography: how people can harm or protect the environment.
Urban studies is based on the study of the urban development of cities. This includes studying the history of city development from an architectural point of view, to the impact of urban design on community development efforts.
Built environment refers to the human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from buildings and parks or green space to neighborhoods and cities that can often include their supporting infrastructure, such as water supply or energy networks.
Subtopics:
- Urban Planning
- Urban Design
The Health and Social Care sector consists of any organisation which provides healthcare support to people, for example hospitals, dentists, and specialist support like physiotherapy, and social care support, for example, nursing homes, foster caring, and nurseries.
Subtopics:
- Health and society
- Public health policy and practice
Environmental sustainability is the ability to maintain an ecological balance in our planet’s natural environment and conserve natural resources to support the wellbeing of current and future generations.
Subtopics:
- Environment and health
- Environment and city
Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both the physical properties of Earth’s surface and the human societies spread across it.
Subtopics:
- Physical geography: nature and the effects it has on people and/or the environment.
- Human geography: concerned with people.
- Environmental geography: how people can harm or protect the environment.
Urban studies is based on the study of the urban development of cities. This includes studying the history of city development from an architectural point of view, to the impact of urban design on community development efforts.
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Next step: share your Know-how
Ready to impact urban development with your know how?
From May 2024, our platform will feature two unique article formats for you to contribute your experience.
- ‘City Know-how’ translates peer-reviewed research into practical knowledge for city makers through one-page summaries.
- ‘City Insights’ encompasses an extensive range of content, including Reflective Praxis, Case Studies, City Shorts, and more, providing in-depth analysis for sustainable urban development.
Get prepared!
Take a look at our contribution types here!
Visit our journal to know about developing an original scholarship.
Let the world know about your City Know-how.
Featured posts
Discover the most recent articles.
The creation and testing of a street audit to assess barriers in urban streetscapes and areas for people with a visual impairment
This street matrix tool can be used by urban planners and other built professionals both to plan new streetscapes and also to assess exisiting streetscapes for improvement. Currently, in many global contexts, it is good practice to make areas accessible for all and complete street audits. Despite this, without background knowledge of visual impairment and other disabilities, it can be difficult to assess these challenges and provide adequate solutions. This street matrix makes this more accessible and easy to assess these areas.
Walking and wheeling in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods: A mixed methods study of the impact of schemes on disabled people’s journeys
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are being introduced in UK cities to reduce motorised through-traffic in residential areas, create better conditions for walking, wheeling and cycling, and change the hierarchy of uses in public spaces. Existing evidence shows that schemes work and generate important public health benefits. However, the experiences of disabled people with these schemes have yet to be explored. This is important because public space and the built environment are important facilitators and barriers in the lives of disabled people.
Walkability and Safety: How neighborhoods influence older people’s walking in Brazil
Walking around the neighborhood is good for older adults health, but the way older adults perceive their surroundings can affect this behavior. This topic has been discussed for some time in high-income countries. There, it is observed that older adults who live in neighborhoods with high residential density, diverse land use, good road connectivity, access to public transport, pleasant aesthetics, security against crime and traffic, presence of recreational facilities, infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, green spaces and visible parts of the sky are more likely to walk, whether for utilitarian or recreational purposes. On the other hand, in Latin American countries such as Brazil, where there is a significant increase in the older adults population and challenges related to urbanization and social inequalities, the relationship between the characteristics perceived of neighborhoods by the older adults and walking behavior is still unknown.
Young autistic adults walk like seniors aged 65 and over
Our study shows that young autistic adults and older adults face similar patterns with walking, particularly at night or for leisure activities. These findings highlight a very poor health prospects for autistic adults as they age due to lack of physical and social activity. These findings underscore the need to rethink urban spaces for diverse needs. By identifying these patterns, we provide a foundation for creating urban environments that are more inclusive, accessible, and supportive of sustained physical activity and better health outcomes for autistic individuals as they age.