Brussels hosts the One Health for Cities conference: towards healthier and more sustainable cities
An international forum at the heart of One Health issues
On December 10, 2025, Brussels hosted the “One Health for Cities” conference—a major European event dedicated to conceptualizing, piloting, and implementing the One Health approach in urban settings. Organized as part of the URBACT “One Health 4 Cities” project led by the City of Lyon, the event brought together key stakeholders from the political, scientific, institutional, and civic spheres around a simple yet ambitious idea: promoting an integrated health model that links human, animal, and environmental health to build resilient and livable cities.
The One Health approach is based on the recognition that contemporary challenges—such as climate change, urbanization, pressure on ecosystems, and the emergence of zoonoses—require a cross-cutting perspective that transcends the traditional boundaries of health and urban planning policies. In urban settings, this means rethinking public strategies to foster environments where the health of residents is intrinsically linked to that of animals and the planet.
One Health and Cities: From Concept to Implementation
The conference was structured around two main sessions: the first focused on translating policies into concrete actions (“One Health: from Policy to Action”), and the second dedicated to the changes needed for cities to become models of One Health integration, accompanied by advocacy directed at the European Parliament.
During the first session, speakers shared the results of the One Health 4 Cities project. They began by presenting practical insights from initiatives led by partner European cities already piloting innovative solutions—such as promoting green spaces for mental health, integrating biodiversity into urban plans, and anticipating health risks in development projects. This was followed by a presentation and practical demonstration of the tools and methods developed to support the implementation of One Health public policies in urban areas.
Urban One Health: an ambition Europe must adopt
The second session, held at the European Parliament, demonstrated Lyon’s commitment to strengthening this European momentum. Lyon Mayor Grégory Doucet highlighted the need to integrate the “One Health” approach into public policy and advocated for bolstering European engagement through three key measures: 1. Positioning One Health as a strategic priority across all EU policies and investment instruments; 2. Strengthening city autonomy through governance mechanisms and direct funding; and 3. Building local capacity through knowledge sharing, scientific support, technical assistance, and citizen engagement.
SHAPE-Med@Lyon: a major scientific player in the One Health ecosystem
As an observer partner and co-lead for the “One Health” component of the City of Lyon’s Local Health Agreement, SHAPE-Med@Lyon was part of the Lyon delegation. SHAPE-Med@Lyon’s commitment to this initiative manifests at various levels: ranging from the participation of its experts in collaborative workshops organized by the city to intellectual contributions regarding assessment tools, such as the urban impact framework developed within the URBACT network.
This partnership illustrates the strength of collaboration between science and public policy, where scientific data, methods, and expertise enrich local policy decisions.
Towards integrated urban health
The One Health for Cities conference thus set important milestones for making integrated health a tangible reality in European urban policies. The commitment of the City of Lyon and its close collaboration with SHAPE-Med@Lyon show how a metropolis can play an exemplary role in transforming transdisciplinary concepts into concrete actions serving all forms of life in the city, in order to rethink the urban as a shared multi-species space!