The built environment influences cardiometabolic health by impacting human behaviours and environmental exposures. However, the current focus on identifying associations between static built environment measures and cardiometabolic health outcomes has limited practical relevance for urban design. Current approaches fail to capture the spatial complexity of urban environments or provide actionable guidance for urban design. In this paper, we discuss how parametric urban design science can offer a paradigm shift in the ability to link the built environment with cardiometabolic health research. It can break down fixed built environment measures into spatially specific parameters and account for interdependencies among built environment measures. This shift moves beyond only investigating correlations and can generate evidence directly relevant to urban design practice. This paper identifies parametric urban design science advantages and outlines future steps for its application in research on the built environment and cardiometabolic health.

Koohsari, M. J., Kaczynski, A. T., Talen, E., & Oka, K. (2025). From Associations to Action: Parametric Urban Design Science for Cardiometabolic Health. Developments in the Built Environment, 100814.