The aging population and growing urbanization call for a reflection on the relationship between health and the urban environment. This project aims to explore Aging in Place (AIP)—the possibility of aging independently and healthily in one’s own home and community within the city—through a complex and multidimensional epistemological approach. 

The research, launched in close collaboration with the Municipality of Bergamo, adopts a biopsychosocial perspective inspired by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model and the World Health Organization’s guidelines for healthy cities, analyzing the interaction between individuals and the built environment. 

The collaboration between urban planners, led by Prof. Emanuele Garda, and psychologists, coordinated by Prof. Francesca Morganti, allows the research to focus on two main areas: 

• The individual dimension, with assessments of health status and investigations into how people experience the aging process, their motivations for housing choices, and their use of nearby urban spaces. 
• The spatial dimension, through an analysis of neighborhoods and, subsequently, the degree of affordance in urban spaces—referring to the possibilities for action that could configure the city as either a resource or a barrier (not only physical) to the well-being and empowerment of older adults. 

The outcome will be a multi-level research model that enables the identification of different degrees of healthy longevity. The ultimate goal is to support public policies aimed at improving urban design to foster AIP, promoting a shift toward more inclusive cities that are aware of the challenges of aging. This vision contributes to redefining the future of cities, making them environments better suited to meeting the needs of people at all stages of life.