Sustainable Urban Planning: The 15-Minute City Concept

Study Notes

The city is growing without order or planning, with half the world's population living in them, and by the end of the century, it will be around 90%.
The main issue of cities is that they are suffering from too many cars, resulting in excessive traffic, noise, and a stressful environment.
The 15-minute city concept, proposed by French-Colombian scientist Carlos Moreno, aims to provide every urban citizen with the ability to meet their basic needs within a 15-minute walk or cycle ride from their house.
Implementing the 15-minute city would require a significant redesign of infrastructure, moving away from 50 years of zoning-based planning policies that separate different types of activity in the city.
Before the Covid pandemic, the average UK worker spent 400 days of their lives commuting, which could be reduced with the 15-minute city concept.
The 15-minute city revolves around three basic principles: reducing pollution, greening the city, and creating opportunities for social interaction and community building.
Critics fear that the 15-minute city could ghettoise poorer people whose neighbourhoods don't have the jobs and amenities found in more affluent communities, and that it may not be feasible in cities with inadequate infrastructure.
There are concerns about unequal access to public space, depending on categories of identity, including gender, race, and levels of poverty, and that democratizing public space decisions could lead to more inclusive spaces.
Urbanization is contributing to the decline of biodiversity, and greening the city could create more opportunities for rainwater infiltration and a healthy ecosystem, enhancing biodiversity for future generations.

Description

Learn about the 15-minute city concept, a revolutionary approach to urban planning that aims to provide citizens with access to daily needs within a 15-minute walk or cycle ride. Explore the benefits and challenges of implementing this concept, including reducing pollution, creating social opportunities, and addressing concerns of unequal access to public spaces.