Workshops across six CityMove partner cities brought together more than 50 participants to reflect on how physical activity actions are assessed, prioritised and delivered.

How should cities decide which physical activity initiatives to invest in?

While increasing physical activity is often the primary goal, city decision-making involves much more than measuring health outcomes. Local authorities, practitioners, researchers and community organisations must consider different priorities, including costs, environmental benefits, community needs, technical capacity and long-term sustainability.

To explore these questions, CityMove recently organised a series of workshops in Antwerp, Bogotá, Kampala, Lima, Ljubljana and Rotterdam. More than 50 participants took part in discussions designed to better understand what influences decisions around physical activity interventions and how these priorities may differ across cities and contexts.

Understanding What Matters in Decision-Making

Every city faces unique challenges when promoting healthier and more active lifestyles. What works well in one neighbourhood, city or region may not necessarily work in another.

To help explore these differences, CityMove used a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach. MCDA supports decision-making processes by considering multiple factors at the same time, rather than relying on a single measure of success.

As part of the workshops, participants reflected on 10 criteria that can influence decisions about physical activity actions. These included physical activity outcomes, environmental impact, sense of community, reach, city coverage, economic impact, implementation and operational costs, technical feasibility, and social acceptability. By exploring these factors together, the workshops aimed to better understand how different cities and communities prioritise their needs and objectives.

Rather than seeking a single “best” action, the discussions focused on understanding the trade-offs that cities often face when planning, implementing and sustaining initiatives that promote physical activity.

Bringing Different Perspectives Together

The workshops brought together people involved in different aspects of physical activity promotion, including representatives from local governments, intervention teams, research institutions and community organisations.

Through individual reflection and group discussions, participants explored which factors they believe are most important when cities make decisions about physical activity actions. They also reflected on how different initiatives align with these priorities and discussed additional considerations that may be particularly relevant in their local context.

The conversations highlighted the complexity of decision-making in practice. Participants discussed the challenge of balancing expected impact with available resources, responding to local needs while meeting broader policy objectives, and ensuring that actions remain useful and sustainable over time.

More Than a Research Exercise

While the workshops contribute to CityMove’s research actions, they were also designed as a learning opportunity for participants.

By bringing together people with different experiences and perspectives, the workshops created space for reflection and exchange. Participants were able to discuss challenges, compare approaches and learn from others working on similar issues in different contexts.

The international dimension of the exercise added another layer to the discussions. Similar workshops were taking place across Europe, Latin America and East Africa, creating a shared learning experience that connected local knowledge with broader perspectives on physical activity and urban health.

What Happens Next?

The workshops represent an important step in CityMove’s ongoing work to better understand how physical activity actions can be assessed and prioritised in different urban contexts.

The information gathered is currently being analysed by the project team. The results are not yet available and will be shared in a future project update.

The insights collected through the workshops will contribute to the development of a practical tool that cities can use to evaluate and compare physical activity actions while taking local priorities and contexts into account.

By combining scientific evidence with the experience and knowledge of people working directly in cities, CityMove aims to support more informed decision-making and help create healthier, more active and more inclusive communities.

We look forward to sharing the findings from this work in the coming months.