Healthy cities: a visual conceptual framework for moving health knowledge into urban planning practice

Despite the increasing recognition of health as a fundamental dimension in urban design and planning, it remains insufficiently incorporated into urban planning practice and policymaking. This study reexamines the ‘Knowledge Translation’ (KT) process through a literature review (N = 53) to address the gap between the public health and urban planning arenas. By analyzing the key KT components – knowledge, guidance, and implementation – we identified additional factors influencing the process and highlighted gaps and opportunities for improvement. Building on these insights, we developed a visual conceptual framework that synthesizes existing knowledge and addresses critical gaps to support urban practitioners and policymakers in creating ‘healthy cities’. The framework conceptualizes KT as a dynamic, iterative process guided by three key drivers: (i) continuous interaction among knowledge, guidance and implementation, all tailored to local contexts and shaped by decision-making processes; (ii) interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration, including active engagement with local communities to create a shared vision of a healthy city; and (iii) a ‘control center’, that integrates these components, facilitates training, and ensures ongoing evaluation and calibration.