The evolution, impact and significance of the healthy cities/healthy communities movement

The Healthy Cities movement, or Healthy Communities as it is known in some parts of the world, has grown rapidly since it was launched in 1986. In addition to the 35 cities formally associated with the WHO Europe project, there are now 18 national networks and hundreds of towns and cities actively involved in Europe, North America, and, increasingly, the developing world. This article reviews the concept, its evolution and current practice, considers some of the problems in applying the concept, and speculates on its potential future development.