A green for wellbeing: the contribution of Milano Wellness City 2030
9 March 2026
On 19 February 2026, at the opening of the tenth edition of Myplant & Garden — Italy’s leading trade fair dedicated to horticulture, gardening and landscape design — the panel “Green for Wellbeing: The Path Toward the Wellness City” took place. The event offered a moment for reflection and discussion on the future of cities shaped by health, wellbeing and nature as a form of social infrastructure.
The meeting was promoted as an open dialogue among institutional stakeholders, industry experts, landscape designers and organizations engaged in urban transformation, including the Wellness Foundation. At the heart of the discussion was a vision of the city in which green spaces, sport, social interaction and wellbeing are deeply interconnected, moving beyond the idea of nature as a merely ornamental element and instead recognizing it as a driver of cultural and social transformation.
In her remarks, the Foundation’s Director, Federica Alberti, presented the organization’s commitment to the city of Milan through the project “Milano Wellness City 2030.” She outlined the motivations behind the initiative and its current stage of implementation, while also highlighting the cultural legacy of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games as a key opportunity to promote healthy and inclusive lifestyles.
“Milano Wellness City 2030 is a project launched by the Wellness Foundation with the aim of placing people’s health and wellbeing at the heart of urban life, promoting movement as a fundamental pillar of a new social culture.” — Federica Alberti, Director of the Wellness Foundation
The event stemmed from the idea that urban development cannot be separated from nature-positive planning, in which nature becomes a complementary element to people’s health and to the resilience of communities. The discussion explored how natural environments and urban greenery can foster active lifestyles, social interaction, psychophysical wellbeing and inclusion, transforming city areas into vibrant and regenerative spaces. The aim is to highlight innovation, prevention, health education and wellbeing-oriented urban design as key drivers for the future of urban communities.
Within this framework, the initiatives carried forward by the Wellness Foundation as part of the Milano Wellness City 2030 project represent important milestones along the path toward a vision of the city that goes beyond infrastructure alone. These include the creation of an open-air gym in the Indro Montanelli Gardens, the project “AMIS – Attività e Movimento Insieme per la Salute”, which promotes active ageing among the over-65 population, and a range of corporate wellness initiatives such as “Move More.” Together, these efforts place a strong focus on health, prevention and the active participation of citizens in shaping healthier urban environments.
