Experts want government funding to help make Australian cities healthier and more sustainable.

The Cooperative Research Centre for Future Cities has been set up to consider cities' resilience to rising temperatures.

Around $45 million has been pledged by industry, councils and state governments, to reduce emissions by 10 to 15 megatonnes.

The research group’s CEO Professor Deo Prasad said effort will focus on “hot spots”, such as hospitals and shopping centres, to help with better design and planning.

“It's not just about having more parking, because that means more cars, but looking at other elements including behaviour and incentives to see how different options of policy might lead to change,” he told reporters.

“Ultimately it's about the health and wellbeing of people in cities.”

The research centre was set up after the conclusion of another cooperative research centre, the CRC for Low Carbon Living, which looked at how to achieve low carbon lifestyles.

It has left a legacy of instructive guides and research on the BuiltBetter website.