Roundtable discussion on health city science and health GIS: key issues and breakthrough paths in "Space and Health" research

Abstract Amid renewed commitments to healthy city agendas, the "Space and Health" nexus has become a critical interdisciplinary frontier, garnering increasing attention from urban planners, geographic information scientists, environment designers, and public health experts. Despite advances in data analytics and rapidly expanding literature, notable gaps remain in conceptual clarity, problem identification, mechanism construction, and policy translation. To address these challenges, Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning convened a roundtable on Healthy City Science and Health GIS at the 2025 Healthy City Science Conference, bringing together scholars from leading Chinese and international universities to discuss conceptual foundations, applications of novel data and methods, and directions for advancing spatial health research. The discussion converged on an agenda that prioritizes scientific knowledge production and its implications to interventions. Panelists underscored the need to define “health” and “space” in context to anchor problem identification and design feasible interventions. They highlighted the opportunities to improve exposure measurement with new data and to open the black box between objective environments and subjective perception through interdisciplinary approaches. These endeavors lay the groundwork for elucidating causal pathways linking space and health. Panelists also called for research designed with policy relevance, supported by interdisciplinary collaborations and the use of emerging analytical tools. This roundtable discussion presents a reflection on current theoretical critiques and innovative propositions within spatial health research. It provides guidance for building a coherent theoretical and applied framework for Health City Science and Planning and enhances the academic and practical value of space-health research within broader agendas for global health and sustainable urban development.