Urban transformations, community participation, and health: inter-sectoral and cross-country learning experience between Brazil, Chile, and Colombia

Abstract

Translating research results into policy and practice is essential for building healthier urban environments. This is a complex and challenging process requiring trust, understanding, and shared motivations across sectors and actor groups to establish safe spaces for experiences and ideas exchange. Recently, members of the Urban Health in Latin America Network convened a group of researchers, decision-makers, and local community members from Brazil, Chile, and Colombia to discuss three urban transformation interventions. The event ‘Urban transformations, community participation, and health: Lessons from Brazil, Chile, and Colombia’ was held virtually on September 2, 2021. We argue that this experience provided an innovative opportunity for capacity-building, establishing new connections between diverse stakeholders in Latin America, and supporting urban health research translation in the region. The discussion highlighted the importance of including both decision-makers and community members in urban health research, to advance decision-makers and community members’ understanding of the complexity of urban contexts, and to inform the research process. We hope this experience will inspire similar cross-sectoral dialogues that can broaden research practice and agendas and support knowledge translation to inform urban interventions and their evaluations to promote health and sustainability.