Health by stealth: A new year’s resolution for our city

A healthy city embraces a healthy economy – and not the kind defined solely by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

Around the world, governments are shifting to a Wellbeing Economy approach: measuring success by whether people, communities and the environment are thriving, not just whether output is rising. 

Wales is widely recognised as a leader. Its Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 places a legal duty on public bodies to work long-term, prioritise prevention, and collaborate to achieve seven wellbeing goals – prosperity, resilience, health, equality, cohesive communities, vibrant culture and a globally responsible Wales. 

Wales has gone further in November 2025 by embedding Health Impact Assessments – independent appraisals of how proposed decisions will affect physical and mental health – and stipulates that public bodies must publish and take these into account. In short: health is designed into the decision process, not an afterthought. 

I participated in a UNSW Cities Institute Panel discussion recently that focussed on Health Impact Assessments, and the advantages of local planning authorities engaging with public health professionals. Professor Liz Green, one of the world’s leading Health Impact Assessment experts and drivers of the Welsh Wellbeing Economy, was our keynote speaker.

I reflected on how we, in Australia, must do better – we are in a climate crisis, a mental and physical health crisis and our ways of working are not sustainable. In February 2025, Independent Federal MP Dr Sophie Scamps’ Private Members Bill to introduce a Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill 2025 was voted down. Safeguarding future generations’ health and wellbeing – not passed. Let that sink in for a minute.

I am and will continue to be an optimist. I believe there is now a shift to “peoples’ right for health” conversation, and how local planners and health teams can work together to embed health and wellbeing in our cities and communities. 

If you are an urban planning or public health professional reading this, you may like to join our Healthy Urban Environments Communities of Practice – a network dedicated to transforming urban environments to put people at the heart of design: more affordable homes near jobs; safer, greener streets; cleaner air and waterways; active transport networks; social connection and cultural vibrancy; and prevention as the default.

Health isn’t a separate issue that lives in hospitals – it’s the byproduct of good urban policy decisions. 

Australia is beginning to move in the right direction. The Commonwealth launched Measuring What Matters, our first national wellbeing framework and dashboard, in 2023. It tracks progress across five themes – Healthy, Secure, Sustainable, Cohesive and Prosperous – via 50 indicators and is being updated annually by the ABS.

Australia is also strengthening prevention nationally. The National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030 sets a 10-year, systems-based agenda to reduce chronic disease and improve equity, with clear targets and priority actions across risk factors such as nutrition, physical activity, tobacco, alcohol and mental health.

In parallel, the Commonwealth has legislated the Australian Centre for Disease Control to start as an independent agency on 1 January 2026 – an important platform to coordinate communicable disease preparedness. 

Healthy Cities Australia is proud to be part of the Australian branch of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, a global movement.

When we advocate for walkable neighbourhoods, green spaces, affordable housing, and integrated health planning, we’re championing the same principles that underpin a wellbeing economy – people and planet first, not GDP and profits at their expense. Health by Stealth.

But this movement needs voices – your voice. Join Healthy Cities Australia as a member and help us shape cities that prioritise health and equity.

Visit healthycities.org.au