How the World's Healthiest Communities Are Inspiring the Next Generation of Cities

From Blue Zones to Designed Longevity

On the Japanese island of Okinawa, it is not unusual to meet people in their nineties tending vegetable gardens or cycling to local markets. In the mountainous villages of Sardinia, Italy, men routinely remain physically active well into old age, while on the Greek island of Ikaria, rates of dementia and chronic disease are among the lowest ever recorded.

For more than two decades, these places, collectively known as the Blue Zones, have been studied by researchers seeking to understand why their residents live longer and healthier lives. Their findings challenged one of the most persistent assumptions about ageing. Exceptional longevity, they concluded, is determined far less by genetics than by the environments people inhabit and the routines those environments encourage.

The common threads are remarkably consistent. Residents walk naturally as part of everyday life rather than relying on structured exercise. Meals are largely plant-forward and shared with family and neighbours. Social connections remain strong across generations. Daily routines incorporate purpose, belonging and opportunities to recover from stress. Together, these behavioural patterns have become known as the Power 9, a framework that has influenced research into healthy ageing around the world.

Cities Are Becoming Health Infrastructure. Can Longevity Be Master-Planned?

Increasingly, scientists, policymakers and urban planners are asking a more ambitious question: If environments shape longevity, can cities be intentionally designed to help people live healthier for longer?

That question is rapidly moving from academic debate into mainstream urban development. According to the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), wellness real estate has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the global wellness economy, expanding from $225 billion in 2019 to $548 billion in 2023, with forecasts suggesting the market could approach $913 billion by 2028. Developers are increasingly integrating preventive healthcare, green space, walkability, air quality, social infrastructure and active mobility into the way communities are planned and operated.

Vietnam may be uniquely positioned to participate in the emerging era of longevity communities, and Vinhomes is among the developers best placed to translate that vision into reality. Supported by the broader Vingroup ecosystem, spanning healthcare, education, mobility, hospitality and technology, the company combines capabilities that align with many of the conditions identified by longevity research as supporting healthier, longer lives. Combined with Vietnam's exceptional natural assets and an approach that emphasises both ecological restoration and sustainable urban development, Vinhomes is positioning itself to explore how the principles behind the world's Blue Zones can be reimagined in the next generation of integrated communities.

Walkable master plans, electric public mobility and expansive green spaces encourage natural movement. Preventive healthcare services delivered through Vinmec promote earlier detection and healthier lifestyles rather than reactive treatment. Educational institutions support lifelong learning and intergenerational engagement, while community programming strengthens the social connections that researchers increasingly recognise as critical to long-term wellbeing.

These principles are becoming increasingly visible in projects such as Vinhomes Green Paradise, a 2,870-hectare coastal township in Can Gio developed under the company's ESG++ framework. The project integrates ecological restoration, renewable energy, biodiversity conservation and public space into a broader vision of healthy urban living. Green Paradise has also become the first official participant in New7Wonders’ global “7 Wonders of Future Cities” campaign, joining a worldwide effort to identify seven landmark urban developments that embody the future of cities and the next generation of human settlement.

A complementary model can be found in Vinhomes Global Gate, where housing, education, commerce, culture and public spaces are woven together to encourage interaction throughout daily life. As research continues to highlight the health risks associated with loneliness and social isolation, particularly among ageing populations, this emphasis on social infrastructure becomes increasingly significant.

Neither development claims to recreate Okinawa or Sardinia. Nor should it. Blue Zones emerged through centuries of culture, geography and shared habits that cannot simply be transplanted elsewhere.

If the defining question of the last decade was how cities could become smarter and more sustainable, the defining question of the next may be how they help people live longer, healthier and more connected lives. In that future, the most valuable real estate may no longer be measured by the number of square metres delivered, but by the number of healthy years it helps create.