Designing Healthier Cities: A Cross-Sector Summit on Health, Equity and Place

Join us in Belfast for a one-day (9.15am – 4.45pm) summit exploring how we can work together to shape healthier, fairer cities.

From green and blue spaces to urban regeneration and climate action, the places we design and manage every day have a direct impact on health and wellbeing. This summit brings together voices from across government, academia, voluntary and community organisations and frontline practice to share practical ideas and evidence on reducing inequalities and preventing non-communicable diseases.

Drawing on research from the UKPRP GroundsWell programme and local partnerships across Belfast, the event will highlight how collaboration across sectors can deliver real change.

The summit will be compered by Louise Cullen, BBC NI’s Agriculture and Environment Correspondent, and features keynote contributions from Kira Fortune (WHO Healthy Cities), William Bird (GP and founder of Intelligent Health), and Wendy Langham (Belfast City Council).

Alongside keynote talks, the programme includes innovation showcases featuring lived experience voices, policy discussions, and an interactive exhibition spotlighting research and community partnerships across the city. Themes include climate and nature, inclusion and conflict, preventing violence against women and girls, urban planning, inequalities, and the future of Lough Neagh.

Whether you work in health, planning, environment, regeneration, education, community development or policy, this summit offers fresh insight, practical examples, and new connections to support healthier urban futures.