Objectives: The goal of satisfying the harmonious life of the people and the harmony between man and nature is put forward at 19th Communist Party of China National Congress. However, there is still a big gap in the urban geological work to meet the needs of green, lowcarbon, circular, safe, intensive and intelligent city development. This paper put forward strategic thinking on urban geological work. Methods: The development stage of urban geological work is systematically reviewed. On the basis of comprehensive analysis of the present situation and existing problems of urban geological work at home and abroad, strategic thinking on urban geological work in the new era is carried out. Results: Innovation of urban geological theory is proposed in this paper. The "1311" urban geological work system is established with 1 investigation, 3 evaluations, 1 set of monitoring systems and 1 set of information systems. A new mechanism for urban geological work and a model of urban geological work at different stages of development are established. Conclusion: The present urban geological work in China has undergone two stages: single factor investigation before 2003 and multispecialty comprehensive geological survey since 2003. It is entering the systematic overall investigation stage under the guidance of the earth system theory. The urban geological work in the new era needs to innovate the theory such as the theory of disturbance rebalancing, the theory of all space resources and environment evaluation and the theory of coordination planning of space resources under the guidance of the earth system theory. In the new era, urban geological work needs to establish a new mechanism for urban geological work, and establish a city geological work team led by the city government.