Highlights

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases, are now the leading causes of death worldwide. Sedentary lifestyles and other unhealthy habits, including a poor diet, increase the risk for NDCs. This is where physical activity (PA) makes a profound impact, and the reason why initiatives like CityMove,…

CityMove: A Global Initiative to Promote Physical Activity in Urban Environments Urban living presents a shared challenge for people worldwide: how to stay sufficiently physically active to benefit their physical and mental health. The rise of sedentary lifestyles, coupled with unhealthy diets and poor air quality, has fuelled an epidemic of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such…

From 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday, the Colombian capital of Bogotá shuts down 75 miles of streets and highways, handing them over to cyclists, runners and walkers. Known as La Ciclovía, the initiative has inspired similar events across the world. Despite its often choking traffic, Bogotá is one of the most bike-friendly cities…

Almost 500 million people will develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) attributable to physical inactivity, between 2020 and 2030, costing US$ 27 billion annually, if governments don’t take urgent action to encourage more physical activity among their populations. The Global status report on physical activity 2022, published by the World Health Organization, measures the…

Launched in January 2024, the CityMove project is a groundbreaking global initiative dedicated to promoting physical activity in urban environments. With support from nine organisations and a team of 50 international researchers, CityMove is studying 13 physical activity actions in six cities across Europe, Africa, and Latin America. CityMove’s mission is clear: to explore how…