Reimagining Healthy Cities: Insights from a National World Café

Across Australia, momentum is building to rethink how we create healthy, liveable and equitable communities. At a World Café–style workshop held in Sydney on 22^nd May, leaders from local government, health, academia and advocacy came together from around the country to explore the future of a renewed Healthy Cities network—and what it needs to succeed.

A consistent theme

The World Café approach enabled rich, rotating conversations that built shared ownership and surfaced diverse perspectives. A consistent theme emerged: while innovative work is happening across the country, it is often fragmented, inconsistently resourced and difficult to scale. Participants expressed a strong appetite for renewed collaboration—provided it adds clear value and strengthens, rather than duplicates, existing networks.

A Community of Practice model resonated strongly, particularly one that is member-driven, practically focused and sustainably funded. Importantly, there was recognition that “value” looks different to different members. This points to a phased approach, where the network evolves over time—delivering early wins while building toward a broader, more integrated national platform.

Important questions raised and what’s working

Participants also raised important strategic questions. Does the language of “Healthy Cities” unintentionally limit the movement’s reach? How do we clearly articulate a compelling vision, a measurable return on investment, and a shared theory of change? These questions reflect a desire to explore the challenges of such a broad remit and position the network for long-term impact, not just short-term alignment.

Real-world examples highlighted what is already working. The Tri-Council Disability Advisory Network shows the power of sustained, inclusive collaboration between the Cities of Mitcham, Marion and Holdfast Bay in SA.

The LG8 Strategic Regional Partnership demonstrates how regional alignment can strengthen advocacy and investment with 8 local councils, Wollondilly, Camden, Campbelltown, Wingecarribee, Shellharbour, Kiama and Shoalhaven crating regional priorities on transport, tourism and health.  Meanwhile, the Western Sydney Heat Alliance driven by Western Sydney Health Alliance (WSHA) and the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) offers a model for cross-sector collaboration on a specific issue, addressing the health impacts of severe temperatures through urban planning and policy across one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions.

Where to next?

Looking ahead, there was a clear call to align efforts across local, state and federal government and to broaden the conversation beyond local government alone. Participants also reflected honestly on who was missing from the room, reinforcing the importance of deeper engagement with communities, diverse sectors and underrepresented voices in future phases.

What we did agree on is that healthy cities require collective leadership, shared learning and coordinated action. This World Café was the first of a series of stakeholder engagement activities to unpack the merit of renewing a network of healthy cities in Australia, and reimagining what value it could add. 

Join the conversation. Be part of shaping the future of Healthy Cities in Australia at the 11th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC) in Sydney, 1–3 September. Register now and help turn momentum into action.