What is a longevity hub?

longevity hub (noun)

A region offering significant economic and innovative activity for older populations.

Populations around the world are aging. Some government and business leaders frame the situation as a reason for alarm; others see opportunity in the swelling ranks of seniors because the economic influence of older adults is projected to increase in the decades ahead.

“Longevity Hubs: Regional Innovation for Global Aging,” a 2024 book edited by MIT AgeLab founder Joseph F. Coughlin and research associate Luke Yoquinto, makes a case that the combined efforts of biomedical researchers, financial service providers, technology designers, property developers, and other innovators could create communities that can engage older citizens while meeting their transportation, housing, medical, emotional, and financial needs.

Chapters in the book explore regions with potential, among them Greater Boston, Milan, and São Paulo, as well as Louisville, Kentucky; Newcastle, U.K.; Dubai, UAE; Tel Aviv, Israel; and regions in Japan and Thailand.

With age-friendly structures in place, these potential hot spots would be better positioned to weather some of the challenges posed by an aging population while providing a cash injection into their local economies. “Finding ways to make [seniors’] lives better is a win-win-win: for older consumers; for aging economies; and for companies and the regions where they reside,” Coughlin and Yoquinto write.

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