The Year in Photos: Cities Taking Action in 2025
A year-end look at the cities reshaping public health.
In 2025, cities found themselves at the front lines of some of the world’s most urgent health challenges—rising heat, unsafe streets, unhealthy food environments, and tobacco use. Across the Partnership for Healthy Cities, those challenges were met not only with policy, but with community-led action: children lining up for a school fun-run in Cali, city officials gathering in Barcelona’s Superblocks that were redesigned to cool streets and make walking safer, and local leaders in Phnom Penh launching a campaign to discourage smoking in a crowded pedestrian area.
We’ve assembled twelve of our favorite photographs documenting local action around the world in 2025— a visual snapshot of the people, places, and moments shaping a healthier urban future.
-
1 of 12 In Cali, Colombia, more than 350 children took part in the October “ChiquiRun 2k,” a family-friendly race that brought together students, parents, and teachers to build community support for healthier school food. -
2 of 12 In Quezon City, Philippines, Juhi Gautam (right), Senior Manager for the Partnership for Healthy Cities, speaks with a local elementary school teacher about the school’s new food-procurement approach, which prioritizes preparing and serving fresh, locally grown vegetables to students. -
3 of 12 During a Partnership-supported City Learning Visit, a representative from Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, toured Melbourne, Australia’s Queen Victoria Market—one of 16 smoke-free and vape-free areas created under the city’s Smoke-Free Melbourne policy. The visit highlighted how Melbourne scaled its smoke-free efforts and built community support, lessons Greater Manchester hopes to apply in its own work. -
4 of 12 In Accra, Ghana, representatives from six West African cities gathered for a Partnership workshop to share best practices on implementing evidence-based interventions to prevent noncommunicable diseases and injuries. Shown here are participants from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Kumasi, Ghana; and Dakar, Senegal. -
5 of 12 Schoolchildren in Medellín, Colombia designed signs highlighting the risks of smoking and vaping during the launch of a Partnership-supported initiative creating cigarette- and e-cigarette-free zones in more than 600 schools. -
6 of 12 The annual Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit was held this year in Paris, France, where participants went on a walking tour highlighting local air quality and mobility improvements including the transformation of an urban freeway into a pedestrian and cycle path along the Seine. -
7 of 12 Lusaka, Zambia Mayor Chilando Chitangala (right) led a walking tour for city delegations from six African cities during a three-day Partnership for Healthy Cities workshop. The walk showcased local pedestrian and bike lane improvements implemented under a new policy championed by the mayor as part of her commitment to safe and active mobility. -
8 of 12 Barcelona, Spain hosted seven cities from the Partnership network for the initiative’s first workshop on addressing the health impacts of rising temperatures, which included a tour of Barcelona’s Superblocks, neighborhoods where traffic is restricted to promote walking, cycling, green spaces and social activities. -
9 of 12 Phnom Penh, Cambodia Deputy Governor Huot Hay (center) took part in the launch of a campaign on Chaktomuk Walk Street, a popular pedestrian area, aimed at discouraging smoking and raising awareness about the risks of second-hand smoke. -
10 of 12 In Dublin, Ireland the city is testing new technologies and collecting community feedback to assess the health and economic impacts of its investments in new bike lanes and pedestrian walkways. -
11 of 12 In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the city is stepping up enforcement of national tobacco and e-cigarette restrictions through public campaigns that highlight the risks—especially to young people—and by adding more signage in areas where smoking and vaping are prohibited. -
12 of 12 London, United Kingdom is partnering with local organizations to expand access to healthy, nutritious school meals, with support from the Partnership for Healthy Cities.
Related
Op-ed by Dr. Kelly Henning, Public Health Program Lead, Bloomberg Philanthropies on Partnership-supported food policy work around the world.
This Guardian Labs article focuses on sharing the Partnership’s stories and advocacy agenda.
Photos from a recent food policy workshop in Dakar, Senegal.