Urban Health and Wellbeing Programme - Policy Briefs: Volume 1

This book is a compilation of the policy briefs produced by the International Science Council's program on Urban Health and Wellbeing: A Systems Approach over the past five years. Intended for urban decision-makers at all levels, it highlights policy-relevant findings and research insights to encourage the co-creation of knowledge for healthy urban environments and people. The book shows how variations on the systems approach developed and promoted by the program have been implemented in regions around the world and contributed to improving urban health. These policy briefs summarize research findings and scientific events concerning urban health-related topics that are relevant for public health professionals, urban planners, urban stakeholder groups and the public at large.


Dr Franz W. Gatzweiler is a Professor at the Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Executive Director of the International Council for Science's global program on 'Urban Health and Wellbeing: a Systems Approach'. He studied Agricultural Economics at the University of Bonn and the Humboldt University of Berlin in Germany. His doctoral thesis was on the 'Nature of Economic Value and the Value of Nature'. His current research focus is the science of complex systems, and urban and global health. He has received research grants from various German and international research foundations. In 2015, he received his postdoctoral qualification (fakultas docendi) for independent teaching and research in the field of resource economics from the Humboldt University of Berlin. Before joining the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2014, he was a senior researcher at the University of Bonn's Center for Development Research (ZEF).