In Singapore, a nation where urban planning, architecture and design are intertwined with well-being, longevity has become more attainable not through wellness hacks, but by simply living in a community intentionally built to nurture health. Reimagining the Blue Zones concept – those naturally occurring regions where people live exceptionally long and healthy lives, identified by American author Dan Buettner as Sardinia in Italy, Okinawa in Japan, Ikaria in Greece, Nicoya in Costa Rica and Loma Linda in California – Singapore is proving that even in densely populated cities, communities can be designed to support longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives. Through initiatives that focus on natural movement, mental health, social connections and a strong relationship with nature, Singapore has fostered what Buettner has coined the world’s first “Blue Zone 2.
0”. As a result, the city-state is frequently ranked among the world’s healthiest nations, an urban ecosystem that doesn’t rely on quick fixes, but rather integrates care into its social and physical environments. From 65 years in 1965, life expectancy in Singapore has risen to 83.
74 years in 2023, becoming the eighth highest in the world. At a society level, supplements, fad diets and exercise regimes fail in the long run when it comes to longevity, as people don’t follow them long enough to have the desired effect. Singapore’s leaders instead made strategic decisions about health and wellness through po.
