Longevity: how science, cities and society are rethinking advancing age

A new vision takes shape: no longer a problem to be solved, but a condition to be designed. From political design to biotechnology, from urban regeneration to investment

by Francesca Cerati

23 May 2025

4' min read

Key points

Biological age can be measured (and changed)
Not just pills, but equity
Cities for all ages: the senior living of the future
Technologies for better living, not just more

4' min read

'Longevity is not a problem to be solved, but a condition to be designed'. With these words Nicola Palmarini, director of the National Innovation Centre for Ageing in Newcastle, opened the panel 'The new frontiers of longevity' at the Trento Festival of Economics. A multidisciplinary panel to address one of the central challenges of our time: how to live longer, better and together.

According to Palmarini, the issue is not only health or demographic, but systemic: 'We are living in an era of "Longevity Transition". It is no longer just a question of extending life, but of rethinking the entire social, economic, urban and technological system to adapt to a world in which we will live longer. We need a new global governance of ageing, just as we have started to build it for climate change'.

Biological age can be measured (and changed)

A revolution that has solid scientific foundations, as Valentina Bollati, Professor of Applied Biology at the University of Milan, explained. 'Today we can measure biological age, i.e. how much a person is actually ageing at the molecular level. And we can intervene: environment, lifestyle, nutrition and exposure to pollutants have a direct impact on these processes, but they are also modifiable factors'.

Bollati emphasised the importance of the exposome and how the environmental factor plays a crucial role: 'We do not only inherit genes, but also exposures. Pollution, diet, stress: all these leave an epigenetic trace that can accelerate or slow down ageing. But the good news is that we can intervene, change our lifestyle, and reverse some of these processes'.

In the laboratory of biologist Vittorio Sebastiano, professor at Stanford University and founder of the start-up Turn Biotechnologies, work is being done on 'cellular reset'. His goal? To intervene in the biological clock of our cells themselves.

Not just pills, but equity

'The biology of ageing, for decades, remained a fragmented field. But today we are in a moment of convergence between technologies and knowledge,' he explains. The integration of genomics, metabolomics, proteomics and artificial intelligence makes it possible to study cells at an unprecedented resolution, paving the way for interventions that slow down or even reverse certain signs of ageing.

But Sebastiano urges caution: 'We cannot expect a magic pill. Longevity is not only science, it is also environment, equity, access to care. Without a political and social vision, science alone is not enough'.

Cities for all ages: the senior living of the future

Indeed, longevity is not only played out in biology or the clinic. It is also - and increasingly so - played out in urban space. This was argued by Raoul Ravara, Head of Strategic Development & Innovation at Hines Italy, who brought concrete experience from the real estate sector.

"Today we need longevity-friendly neighbourhoods," he explained. "Urban spaces designed to accompany active ageing: accessible, green, with soft mobility, neighbourhood services and intergenerational relations. Senior living is not an alternative to RSA, it is a cultural evolution. It is a flexible, technological, integrated housing model in the city, where the elderly person is an active citizen, not a caregiver'.

Ravara presented the regeneration project of Ex Trotto in Milan, a new 130,000 square metre district with over 3,000 planned residents, designed to be a multigenerational and sustainable district. "We have earmarked 360 units for senior living and developed a mix of services and public spaces that promote wellbeing, sociality and dialogue between generations. Longevity, if accompanied by appropriate environments, becomes a lever for urban regeneration, not a cost to be managed'.

In this vision, town planning is intertwined with social innovation: 'Building projects have long cycles, they last for years. What we build today must respond to the society of 2035. That is why it is crucial to anticipate social needs. And we cannot do this without integrating services, mobility, culture, technology and community'.

Technologies for better living, not just more

And where is capital moving in the area of longevity? According to Paolo Di Giorgio, CEO of Angelini Ventures, 'Capital today is looking for technologies that improve the quality of life, not just extend lifespan,' he says. 'The start-ups attracting investment are those proposing targeted therapies for neurodegeneration, metabolic disorders, chronic inflammation or digital health.

Two examples: Nobi, a smart light that prevents falls in the elderly with Ai, and Damona, a Canadian biotech working on cognitive disorders of ageing. And then more ambitious projects such as support for Cemm's 'Healthy Lifespan Expansion Initiative', which has already developed a method for estimating the biological age of 40 tissues from a single blood sample. A tool for personalised medicine, with applications in early diagnosis and prevention of chronic diseases.

All the speakers agreed on one point: longevity is already among us. And it affects everyone, not just the over-65s. It is a structural change that requires new alliances between science, urban planning, industry, institutions and citizens. As Palmarini recalled in closing, 'we must no longer ask ourselves how long we will live, but how we want to live. And this is a collective project and it is important to educate in this sense, starting with the young, the elderly of tomorrow.