The COVID-19 pandemic is for urban planners a crisis not to be wasted, to accelerate bold thinking and to support governments in developing urban health and well-being as a major policy area in the daily management and planning of cities.
But also, beyond COVID-19 it is high tide to walk back on an important historical line of urban planning and seek more connection with the social, health and welfare sector: to focus on people-centred planning, emphasize the spatial environment as a major determinant of health and create resilience amongst cities and their citizens for daily healthy behaviours and for well-prepared response in exceptional situations. Integrating health in planning and planning for urban resilience requires collaboration with experts in the health sector, by bridging the strong science and evidence-based approach they have with the strong area-based instruments that urban planners have.