The world’s Blue Zones—a term invented by National Geographic Fellow and author Dan Buettner to connote places where people live longer and healthier lives—have tended to be rural, or at least not overly dense: think Sardinia in Italy, or Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. That trend changed last year, however, when Singapore became the sixth Blue Zone.
How did a city-state that has the third-densest population in the world become a Blue Zone? Buettner credits the country’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew: “He recognized that Singapore’s potential wealth lies in its human resources.” Consequently, the government emphasizes the well-being for its people; one way it does so is by maintaining lots of easily accessible green space. The Lion City has more than 40 percent green coverage and encourages walking with pedestrian-friendly architecture, a National Steps Challenge, and more. A great place for visitors to get their steps in is Fort Canning Park; for a photo op, enter via the Fort Canning Tree Tunnel (pictured), an underpass with a spiral staircase that rises to the gorgeous Yellow Rain Tree.
