This paper reviews the recent developments in programs and tools for healthy city design with special reference to densely populated cities. The research agenda that underpin the development of these programs and tools are also discussed. The review shows that progress in healthy city design must be built upon theories that explains the relationship between the hardware and software of city at all levels (such as urban landscape, planning, building design, development density, infrastructure, traffic management, building management etc) and the physical and mental well being of its citizens. Since data on the latter is often difficult to come by, observable factors that are known to have a direct bearing on human health conditions such as air quality, water quality, noise level, thermal comfort etc are used instead. The discovery of these theories requires knowledge from different fields and thus calls for a multidisciplinary approach. In addition, many recent programs and tools for healthy city design also aim at resolving implementation issues. Resolving these issues is often the key to building a healthy city.