The Commission on Creating Healthy Cities

The Commission on Creating Healthy Cities (CCHC) was run by the Global Centre on Healthcare and Urbanisation (GCHU) at Kellogg College, the University of Oxford, in partnership with The Prince’s Foundation. The Commission investigated the links between urban matters and health and wellbeing. 

The Commission launched in December 2020 and concluded in Summer 2022.  Four meetings were held for the Main Commission and three meetings for each Sub Group and the International Advisory Board.

With an ever-increasing proportion of the global population residing in densely populated urban environments, it is vital to consider how city design and use impacts the health and wellbeing of residents and the spread and severity of infectious disease outbreaks. The Commission used evidence from global events to inform urbanisation and how existing urban infrastructure and communities can adapt to become more resilient in future outbreaks.  

While the Commission will focused its recommendations on the UK context, it also assessed the global evidence.  

The Commission took a holistic view of these issues, recognising the backdrop of the climate crisis and taking account of factors such as poverty and diversity. The target audience is the intersection between policymakers and practitioners in the UK’s local and central governments and devolved administrations, including town planners, architects, urban designers, and allied health professionals, to inform the creation of our built environment.