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Populations around the world are aging, and older adults' economic influence—already considerable—stands to grow markedly in the decades ahead. Finding ways to make these lives better is a win-win-win: for older consumers; for aging economies; and for companies and the regions where they reside. This much-needed volume edited by Joseph Coughlin and Luke Yoquinto, Longevity Hubs, brings together contributors—entrepreneurs, researchers, designers, public servants, and others—who are addressing the multifaceted concerns of aging societies. Together, they explore the possibility that specific regions will soon distinguish themselves as longevity hubs: a home to disproportionate economic and innovative activity for older populations.
If a region were to emerge as such a disproportionate hotspot, that area and its home nation might better weather some of the challenges posed by population aging, while at the same time providing a cash injection into the local economy thanks to aging markets domestic and foreign. Longevity Hubs explores strategies adopted by different areas' government and industry leaders to promote such activity; who different regions' target markets are; and how local, older adults may affect (and be affected by) innovation in their area. Longevity Hubs opens on Greater Boston, with the collected articles comprising the “Longevity Hub” special project that ran in the Boston Globe in 2021 and 2022. Then the book zooms out to take in a more global stage, in the form of nine chapters written by representatives of cities and regions staking a claim as powerhouses of aging innovation.
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About the Author
Joseph F. Coughlin, PhD is Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab. He teaches in MIT's Department of Urban Studies & Planning and the Sloan School's Advanced Management Program. Coughlin conducts research on the impact of global demographic change and technology trends on consumer behavior and business strategy. He advises a wide variety of global firms in financial services, healthcare, leisure and travel, luxury goods, real estate, retail, technology, and transportation.
Luke Yoquinto is a science writer who covers learning and education, as well as aging and demographic change, in his role as a researcher at the MIT AgeLab. His work can be found in publications such as The Washington Post, Slate, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic. He is a graduate of Boston University’s science journalism program.
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