The purpose of establishing the "Healthy City Research Center" at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) was to address Taiwan’s major social and environmental challenges, including rapid population aging, increasing risks associated with extreme climate events, urban health inequalities, and insufficient community resilience. The Center is composed of interdisciplinary experts from fields such as urban planning, public health, medicine, health and leisure studies, architecture & environmental planning, disaster management, and innovation management.

The Center was previously led by Dr. Shu-Chen Hu, Dean of the College of Medical and Health Sciences at Asia University, who, guided by the principle of “Health in All Policies”, pioneered an interdisciplinary model for research on urban health promotion and age-friendly environments. Since August 2025, Professor Tzu-Yuan Chao has assumed the role of Director, integrating her extensive research expertise in healthy cities, age-friendly environments, climate change adaptation, and national land and urban planning systems to advance the vision of sustainable, livable, and resilient cities.

The Center’s core philosophy emphasizes a human-centered approach, grounded in scientific evidence, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the implementation of local actions. Through scientific research, educational outreach, data platform development, and policy integration, the Center is committed to supporting both central and local governments in enhancing urban health governance and strengthening the health resilience of socially vulnerable populations.

Vision

Guided by the vision of “shaping healthy, resilient, and inclusive cities for the future,” the Center aspires to elevate Taiwan’s research on healthy cities and age-friendly environments onto the international stage. It aims to become a key research and policy partner in the Asia-Pacific region and, with National Cheng Kung University as its base, to drive cities across Taiwan toward shared goals of health and well-being and net-zero sustainability.