INTRODUCTION
The global Healthy Cities movement was launched in 1986
and has thrived since. The European Healthy Cities and
Networks, led by the World Health Organisation Regional
Office for Europe (WHO EURO), have adopted a vision and
a set of core attributes to work towards improving urban
health and environment. Each 5 years (a Phase), the network
has focused on different priority themes and engaged into
relevant projects to achieve these.
Evaluation efforts until now have yielded significant
evidence that being a ‘Healthy City’—belonging to the
network, working within its values and approaches and
putting health as a priority on the local agenda—constitutes
agency for change, and designated Healthy Cities as
well as (national and language) networks of Healthy
Cities drive urban health innovation across Europe.
PROGRAMME LOGIC AND
METHODOLOGICAL PRELIMINARIES
The evaluation of Phase V (2009–13) of the WHO
European Healthy Cities Network was initiated in 2012
drawing on (i) past evaluation efforts and deliverables
and (ii) current insights into the study of complex or