People on Earth are living longer today than ever before. A fact from which to start when designing cities, in which, according to the UN, 70% of the world's population will live by 2050. This is the basis of a global initiative to promote aging healthy and longevity in urban areas. The name of the project is City of longevity. It was launched in July 2023 by National Center for Innovation on Aging of the United Kingdom (NICA), based in Newcastle. The center is supported by several UK government departments, the World Bank and the University of Singapore, among others. Nica aims not only to collect data on the lives of older people to improve it through the joint action of individuals and municipal administrations, but also to collaborate with various companies to apply this knowledge to business solutions.
Milan's population over 65 has increased by 197% since 1951
In the brochure presenting the City of Longevity, we read that five different generations currently live together on the planet. But the weight of each person on the world population is changing rapidly. From a century ago, when there were only a few old people and many young people, today we find ourselves in an era of generational balance, in which the number of older people in some regions is destined to exceed that of young people. The world's current billion people aged over 60 will double to more than 2 billion by 2050. Most of them will live in cities. An example: the population over 65 in Milan has increased by 197% since 1951; those over 75 years old by 496%.
Italy is one of the oldest countries in Europe
Within the framework of City of Longevity, the participating cities – among which Lisbon, Tel Aviv, Barcelona and Bergamo since the first day, and now in our country also Cremona – ask themselves what characteristics the urban context must adopt so that older people can preserve their economic situation. freedom, respect for those around you, autonomy, social dignity and the network of people necessary to feel good and contribute to the well-being of society as a whole. Population aging constitutes one of the greatest current and future challenges for OECD countries. In our country, according to Eurostat, the cities with the highest number of elderly people compared to the number of young people are Savona, Genoa and Trieste. The continental record for this ranking goes to Fréjus, in France along the Côte d'Azur.
Intergenerational activities and spaces for all
In a city of longevity, citizens are an integral part of urban development. They propose policies and evaluate their effects in dialogue with the administration. This also involves creating an urban model as close as possible to the 15 Minute City, in which everyone is free to move actively. Among the practical actions mentioned are low speed limits – with particular attention to the limit of 30 kilometers per hour for vehicles, as recently decided in Bologna – reducing pollution and increasing pedestrian zones, reducing the number of smokers, reducing the costs faced by people when they meet to spend time together. In long-term cities, people are not afraid to go out, they have the time to do so, and they can do so in comfortable, stimulating spaces that make them feel safe, free from crowds. decadence and filled with people from all walks of life.
Health and education
To age well, everyone must be able to benefit from free learning opportunities throughout their life. Universities must study the lives of the elderly in order to provide administrations with data enabling them to implement policies to support the elderly. In long-term cities, economic activity generates benefits for all and we work to increase intergenerational social cohesion and financial security, so as to make the lives of elderly people, too often alone and without objectives, satisfactory. considered significant. In the same context, individuals and public administrations promote a healthy lifestyle, reducing the consumption of alcohol and saturated fats. In the areas of intervention, we mention, for example, the ban on advertising for notoriously harmful food products.
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