 The importance of coordinated efforts to protect biodiversity and public health in urban areas is increasingly recognized globally. Ongoing urbanization worldwide presents challenges for sustainable management of urban ecosystems, urban development planning, social cohesion and public health. To address these challenges, initiatives have been launched in Belgium since 2011 to deal with combined biodiversity and public health challenges in the face of ongoing urbanization. This emerging community of practice in Belgium exemplifies the importance of interfacing at different levels, including building bridges between science and complex phenomena, different professional communities and disciplines, science and policy, and specialized sections within each community. This article was authored by H.Q. C. Kretsch, G. De Blust and others.