Liveability research creating real world impact: connecting urban planning and public health through the Australian Urban Observatory

Urbanisation is occurring globally and rapidly with potential to compromise the development of sustainable, liveable and healthy cities. Urban observatories have also existed for many years addressing a range of relevant urban issues. These observatories provide a unique method to translate research into practice, support evidence-informed policy and planning, target actions of the sustainable development goals, address spatially based health inequities and improve the liveability of cities. This paper provides an analysis of the Australian Urban Observatory, a digital liveability planning platform using urban analytics to observe and enhance understanding of liveability inequities in Australian cities that is linked to policy and planning. The analysis aims to share learnings about development of the Australian Urban Observatory, including the conceptual framework of liveability, planning tools, and the resulting impact in policy and planning applications. This is the first urban observatory in Australia that will continue to expand and develop over time, supporting urban governance, democratic process and creating real world policy impact through partnership between academia, government, industry and the community.