Urban designers, architects, and planners are well versed in understanding how to shape, form, and adapt cities, but is there more to understand in how those cities are shaping their residents? Could lifespans be the best new urban design metric?
This report summarizes a high-level urban analysis on the world’s longest-lived communities, commonly known as Blue Zones, to develop an understanding of the conditions we should aim for in our designs to create the healthiest living environments. The four Blue Zones identified for study are: Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; and Okinawa, Japan. If we are looking to create environments for livability, let us look to the environments that produce the longest-lived populations.
View the full report here.
