Long-Lived Cities and Towns: Toward Territories Habitable for All Ages

Long-lived societies do not only need more years of life: they need better places in which to live them.

Demographic change does not occur in the abstract; it happens in specific streets, neighborhoods, towns, and cities. It becomes visible in sidewalks that are too narrow, in the absence of benches, in distant services, in homes that fail to adapt, in towns that empty out, and in cities that accelerate. That is why thinking about longevity also means—above all—thinking about territory.

It is not only about where we live, but about how those places allow us to continue living with autonomy, relationships, and meaning at any age.

Territory as a Determinant of Longevity

For a long time, longevity was analyzed primarily through biology or health systems. Today we know that the everyday environment is one of the most decisive factors in well-being at older ages. The possibility of walking safely, accessing basic services, maintaining social relationships, or participating in community life depends largely on how spaces are designed.

A hostile territory accelerates fragility.

A habitable territory delays it.

Long-lived societies force us to rethink urban planning, mobility, housing, and services from a different logic: that of the entire life cycle, rather than that of the productive young adult as the only model.

Cities That Age… Without Having Planned for It

Large cities concentrate opportunities but also risks. Density, noise, housing costs, and the speed of urban life can become invisible barriers for many older people. It is not always age that limits; often it is the environment that pushes people out.

Uneven sidewalks, traffic lights with insufficient crossing times, inaccessible public transportation, neighborhoods without nearby shops—small urban design decisions that, taken together, reduce autonomy and foster isolation.

Building long-lived cities does not mean creating spaces “for older people,” but cities that are more welcoming for all ages: walkable, legible, safe, and with nearby services. Cities where stopping is not an inconvenience and where daily life does not require constant exertion.

Towns That Resist and Towns That Can Be Reborn

At the other end of the territorial spectrum, many towns face aging through depopulation. There, longevity coexists with the loss of services, school closures, distance from healthcare, or unwanted loneliness. Yet these territories also hold unique opportunities.

Human scale, proximity among neighbors, contact with nature, and a slower rhythm of life can be powerful allies of well-being at advanced ages. The key lies in ensuring services, connectivity, and community support, without turning aging into resignation.

Thinking about long-lived towns does not mean accepting that only older people will live there but creating conditions for intergenerational coexistence and new ways of life that turn territory into a space of opportunity rather than abandonment.

Housing, Proximity, and Daily Life

Housing is the first territory of longevity. Impractical stairs, non-adapted bathrooms, large homes poorly suited to changing needs can turn the home into a trap. By contrast, small adaptations—accessibility, light, thermal comfort—extend autonomy and delay dependency.

But housing does not function in isolation. It needs neighborhood. It needs proximity.

Local shops, health centers, cultural spaces, and informal meeting places are essential parts of a territorial ecology of care.

Living longer means being able to maintain everyday life for longer. And that depends on whether the environment allows it.

Mobility and the Right to Move

To move is to continue participating. When mobility is lost, the city or town shrinks.

Mobility design in long-lived territories must prioritize accessible public transportation, safe pedestrian routes, and the reduction of physical barriers.

It is not only about getting somewhere quickly, but about being able to get there at all.

In long-lived societies, the right to move is the right to remain an active part of the territory.

Territories That Care

Care does not begin with social services; it begins with environmental design.

A bench in the shade, a lively square, an open community center, a safe walking route—these are forms of silent care that sustain everyday life.

Long-lived territories are those that integrate care as a planning criterion, not as an afterthought. Where health, social, urban, and community dimensions interact.

There are no neutral cities or towns: they either care, or they wear people down.

Toward Territories Habitable for All Ages

The challenge is not to design territories for older people, but territories where aging is possible without disappearing.

Territories where age does not mean expulsion, but continuity. Where the passage of time does not remove rights but reorganizes them.

Long-lived societies need cities and towns that recognize diverse rhythms, capacities, and life paths. Spaces where coexistence matters more than competition, and where daily life can be sustained with dignity.

Is your city or town designed so that you can continue living there twenty or thirty years from now?