Beyond Buildings: Celebrating World Urbanism Day 2025

Cities don’t just happen, they’re designed.

On World Urbanism Day, celebrated each year on November 8, we pause to recognize the planners, designers, and architects who shape the places where life unfolds. From the walkable streets that connect us to our neighbors to the hospitals that anchor our communities, every built environment tells a story about our values and priorities as a society.

At Center Design, we believe healthcare design is inseparable from urbanism. How we plan our cities directly affects how people access care, experience healing, and participate in community well-being.

Why World Urbanism Day Matters

Established in 1949 by Professor Carlos Maria della Paolera in Buenos Aires, World Urbanism Day (also called World Town Planning Day) is celebrated in more than 30 countries. It was created to raise awareness about how thoughtful planning improves the quality of life for all.

Urbanism isn’t just about zoning maps or skylines, it’s about how people live, move, and heal within a city. The sidewalks, bus routes, parks, and public institutions we design all contribute to public health and social equity.

As global cities face climate change, housing shortages, and population growth, the importance of collaborative planning across disciplines - architecture, healthcare, and urban design - has never been clearer.

Urban Planning and Healthcare: A Shared Purpose

In healthcare design, we often think about patient rooms, daylight, and staff workflow, but before any of that, we should ask a bigger question: how does the city itself support wellness?

An equitable city is one where a patient can reach a clinic without two bus transfers.

A sustainable city is one where healthcare facilities integrate green space and efficient energy use.

A resilient city is one where hospitals double as safe zones in times of crisis.

Urban planning and healthcare architecture share the same goal: to improve human well-being through design. One operates at the city scale; the other, at the building scale. Together, they form a continuous ecosystem of care.

Designing for Healthier Cities

Our work at Center Design is rooted in healthcare, but our lens is urban. We design facilities that contribute to a healthier civic fabric, emphasizing accessibility, safety, and connection.

Connectivity — Clinics and medical offices that align with transit and pedestrian routes extend healthcare access beyond the hospital walls.

Sustainability — Designing with daylight, natural ventilation, and energy-efficient systems reduces carbon while improving patient recovery rates.

Community Integration — Health spaces that double as community resources, education hubs, green courtyards, gathering areas, support both care and connection.

In short, every healthcare project is an urban project. The experience of healing extends into the surrounding streets, transit stops, and public spaces.

A Texas Perspective: Planning for Growth and Care

As North Texas continues to grow, urbanism takes on a new urgency. DFW’s expanding healthcare infrastructure, medical office buildings, outpatient centers, ambulatory clinics, must evolve alongside city planning.

At Center Design, we’ve seen firsthand how strategic site planning and thoughtful architecture can strengthen a city’s healthcare network. When design aligns with local growth patterns, patients benefit, providers operate more efficiently, and neighborhoods thrive.

World Urbanism Day reminds us that the health of a city and the health of its people are deeply intertwined.

How We Can All Participate

You don’t have to be an architect to appreciate good urban design. Here are a few simple ways to engage with World Urbanism Day:

Take a walk in your neighborhood, notice how spaces make you feel.

Support policies that promote green, walkable, inclusive development.

Share a photo of your favorite public space with the hashtag #WorldUrbanismDay.

Ask your community: how does our city promote health?

Urbanism starts with awareness, grows through conversation, and takes shape through collaboration.

Final Thought

World Urbanism Day isn’t just about cities, it’s about the lives within them. As healthcare architects, we see design as a public responsibility: to build places that heal, connect, and endure.

Every building we design contributes to a larger ecosystem. Every clinic is part of a neighborhood. Every plan is part of a city’s story.

So, this November 8, we celebrate not only urban planners, but everyone working to create healthier, more livable cities, one design at a time.