The World Health Organization's European Office has initiated a major new project known as “Healthy Cities”. As a laboratory for the lifestyle targets agreed for Europe, the time seems right to support integrated approaches to health promotion at the city level. The city is often the lowest administrative level which can marshal the resources and has the political mandate and authority to develop and implement intersectoral approaches to health; because it is a place with which its citizens identify, there are good prospects for participation harnessed to neighbourhood or civic pride. Throughout the European Region at present there is evidence of a general renaissance of public health activity at this level and it seems appropriate for WHO to support and facilitate processes which are already under way. The project will initially bring together ten or twelve European cities to collaborate in the implementation of intersectoral city health plans. In turn, these cities will take responsibility for supporting the development of further networks of cities which wish to participate in the project. WHO will provide technical expertise and generate a range of resource materials of value to the cities involved. In addition there will be a major collaborative European television series on the healthy city. By concentrating on concrete examples of health promotion which include a commitment to community participation and intersectoral collaboration, it is expected that the Healthy Cities project will mark the point at which WHO philosophies and frameworks are taken off the shelves and into the streets of European cities