Blue Zones

Blue zones are those where people live longer and with better health. Five blue zones have been identified around the world:

  1. Ikaria, Greece
  2. Sardinia, Italy
  3. Loma Linda, California
  4. Nicoya, Costa Rica
  5. Okinawa, Japan


The diversity shows that it’s not wealth, culture, geography, climate or economy that creates healthier communities.


Dan Buettner, the National Geographic researcher behind Blue zones, identified that “longevity occurred because they were in the right environment — an environment that fostered a lifestyle of longevity”.


What does that lifestyle look like? Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's an active one where the built and natural environments support healthy behaviours.


Buettner has identified nine principles that comprise the lifestyle characteristics in the five Blue Zone communities:

  1. Move naturally – exercise as part of everyday life: walking locally, gardening, working outdoors
  2. Purpose – meaningful work and community contribution, including in later life
  3. Down shift – daily rituals to help reduce stress
  4. 80% rule – eating only to a feeling of 80% fullness
  5. Plant slant – diets based around plant-based eating
  6. Wine at 5 – moderate consumption of alcohol
  7. Loved ones first – a focus on family and close relationships
  8. Belonging – connection through faith-based communities and other groups and organisations
  9. Right tribe – having social circles that support healthy behaviours.


Buettner advocates for built environment interventions that last decades or a lifetime to support healthy, active aging and community wellbeing.


He’s since founded the Blue Zones Project – helping towns and cities to reverse-engineer the Blue Zone principles into built environments. Blue Zone Projects help people transform where they live, work, learn and play so that the healthy choice is the easy choice.


The approach is similar to the Heart Foundation’s Healthy Active by Design approach.


There’s a lot from which we can learn as we design and deliver healthier, more walkable built environments; and in our work with communities.


Building further on the Blue Zones concept is Blue Zones Health – a program in the U.S to support healthcare practitioners in prescribing active, socially-connected and nature-based preventive health solutions.


Find out more and be further inspired: https://www.bluezones.com/  


image credit: iStock.com, miodrag ignjatovic