Topics applied into action

Seven key urban health policy ideas were found in the planning of Sydney’s Western Parkland City that draw upon different ontological perspectives. This case study prompts policy actors and researchers to reflect on their own assumptions, and others’ underlying assumptions to better understand where and how collaborations should occur.

Urban environments influence mental health and development of younger populations. This study explores associations between adolescent mental health indicators and design characteristics. Implications include recommendations for planners and urban designer to promote psychological well-being.

How do people conceptualize pathogen transmission risk in cities using visible cues?

The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and the switch to online learning impacted the life of university students. We looked at wellbeing in relation to use of greenspaces during the 3rd ‘lockdown’ in England.

Canadian youth who had better mental health during the first summer of the pandemic tended to also have more nearly local neighbourhood destinations.

Odour pollution impacts our mental and physical wellbeing without being noticed very often - bad smells can have a negative impact on how we think and feel. Bad odour can affect our work and home environments in a negative way so why don’t we take it more seriously?

Compactness level urban areas have different health related outcomes during COVID-19.

Our study analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on Hong Kong's progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The study identifies four SDGs that stood out with significant impacts from the pandemic. We offer valuable and transferable insights for policymakers and stakeholders involved in pandemic recovery and sustainable development efforts.

We used a case study approach to highlight potential radical health tools that could be embedded in research projects to enable us to understand more about how nature impacts health and wellbeing.

The future of workplaces now includes ‘remote’ for many, which has many health benefits. The future of ‘the office’ needs to evolve too and bringing more nature into the workplace is a healthy place to start.

This study adds to the literature on the health impacts of lockdowns by examining longitudinal changes in the health behaviours of Australian apartment residents. Following the COVID-19 lockdown, residents reported increased walking for recreation, sleep duration, and home cooking frequency, but decreased walking for transport, greater sitting time, and weight gain. Alcohol consumption remained stable.

By reviewing the studies on the cities in the early months of the COVID-19 outbreak, we could develop a promising perspective for identifying solutions during future similar pandemics.