Milano Wellness City 2030

Cities have a crucial role to play in advancing public health and well-being, especially as they are expected to host 70% of the global population by 2050.

This is the starting point for a bold new challenge launched by President Nerio Alessandri: leveraging the momentum of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games to launch an ambitious project aimed at fostering a new culture of well-being in the city of Milan.

Milan has always been ahead of the curve, and today it has the potential to become a true wellness city, improving quality of life for its citizens and contributing to the future sustainability of healthcare systems.

The Wellness Foundation has conducted an in-depth study on the state of well-being in Milan, analyzing demographic, economic, and lifestyle data as well as the city’s infrastructure. The findings confirm that Milan has all the right conditions to become a wellness benchmark. However, challenges such as an aging population, unhealthy lifestyles, rising obesity, and chronic illnesses, which already account for 70% of healthcare costs, call for a paradigm shift.

According to Nerio Alessandri, the solution lies in a preventive approach that engages all sectors of society, from institutions to businesses, from universities to civic associations. The goal is not only to promote healthy and sustainable lifestyles, but to integrate well-being with fashion, food, art, tourism, and science, enhancing citizens’ quality of life and unlocking new opportunities for the territory.

Over the past months, key stakeholders have agreed that the time is right to launch a forward-looking initiative that integrates existing programs and encourages the creation of new ones, with concrete goals to be achieved by 2030. Enthusiasm and willingness to contribute ideas, expertise, and initiatives have been high. Milano Wellness City 2030 already benefits from the engagement of a high-level working group, including Fondazione Cariplo, Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, Bocconi University, Politecnico di Milano and Fondazione Politecnico di Milano, Humanitas University, San Raffaele Hospital, Fondazione Umberto Veronesi ETS, Fondazione Human Technopole, Federalberghi, and Assolombarda. Milan’s three most popular sports clubs - Inter, AC Milan, and Olimpia Basketball - are also involved and will play a key role in amplifying the message.

The future of Milan as a wellness city will rely on a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach. Ongoing discussions with the Municipality of Milan and ATS Milano Città Metropolitana have already yielded actionable insights. There is full awareness that strong public-private collaboration and clear measurement of outcomes are essential for the success of a long-term, complex project.

What’s next? Based on the findings of the Wellness Foundation’s report, each stakeholder is now invited to propose concrete projects across multiple areas, ranging from preventive medicine to nutrition, from mental health to tourism. Key project areas include lifestyle medicine, nutrition, mental wellness, educational programs, wellness lifestyle, corporate wellness, and urban development.

The challenge is significant, but Milan has what it takes to become a model for other cities in Italy and around the world, delivering tangible benefits in terms of health and quality of life. Thanks to the shared commitment of institutions, businesses, and citizens, the city of wellness can become a reality.