Healthy Cities Research Initiative

Healthy Cities Research Initiative: Goal and objectives The HCRI is a strategic initiative with the overarching goal of improving health by maximizing the health-promoting potential of cities and urbanized areas in Canada and internationally. The HCRI will fund research that will generate a substantial body of evidence and build capacity within the research and practitioner communities around designing and implementing evidence-based interventions in urban contexts to improve population health and health equity. For the purpose of the HCRI, the term ‘cities’ is used broadly to refer to non-rural communities of various sizes. Developed after extensive consultations with the research community and municipalities and government agencies, the three main objectives of this strategic program are to: Research Excellence Support healthy cities intervention research and implementation science on innovative, scalable, sustainable and equitable solutions, with a strong focus on complex evaluation for equitable impacts. Capacity Building Create capacity among trainees and practitioners in implementation science focused on inter-sectoral solutions for urban environments that promote health and health equity. Knowledge Mobilization Mobilize the use of evidence to support Canada’s cities in planning and implementing interventions in their unique environments.