<p>Planning policy should deliver sustainable urban development: vibrant, healthy environments meeting the community’s needs, characterful and safe places, and accessible services. The vitality and form of city centres hold a pivotal role in community life. Urban planning policies, such as the UK’s National Planning Policy Framework and local planning policy guidance, support city-centre vitality and form through proposals for movement networks, land uses, public spaces and others, significantly affecting urban form. However, securing the economic benefits of major investments and transformations poses challenges relating to city vitality and the quality of urban form. These include accommodating contemporary retail demands, managing vacancy rates, boosting footfall, promoting sustainable movement and maintaining historical continuity. Using the examples of the regional city of Birmingham and the historic town of Stafford, this study investigates the relevant literature, planning policies and national and local data resources, identifies the relationship between planning policies and city-centre vitality and form, and proposes an urban design-based strategy for improving vitality and form. This research contributes to the theoretical underpinnings of sustainable development for people-friendly activities and high-quality environments and provides a practical reference for policy revision and design methods based on morphological elements or form-based codes.</p>