The 15-Minute City: A Solution for Sustainable Living

Are 15-minute cities feasible? Some urban planners say they paved the way to a cleaner Greener future but distractors claim they threaten our personal freedom with a Hunger Game style plan to control the population from poorly communicated rollouts to viral online conspiracy theories. Why has a simple City Planning concept become a disinformation nightmare? 

Around 56% of the world's population lives in cities. By 2050, about 70 percent of people will be living in urban areas and as that number increases problems increase as well. Air pollution kills millions every year. Most people are traveling long distances, even for their basic needs often stuck in traffic or packed into crowded trains and buses. 

Why is it that we have to adapt and to degrade our potential quality of life? 

Urbanist Carlos Moreno started tackling these questions and developed the concept of the 15-minute City. In these cities everyone has access to essential services like work, school, housing, leisure and health care all within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. The aim is to create green and sustainable cities with more local engagement. For that, authorities need to reduce traffic, expand sidewalks and parks and transform existing buildings into multi-purpose spaces.

Mayor of Paris and Hidalgo used the idea in her election bid in 2020 with Moreno, as her advisor, Hidalgo extended the support on her green Paris agenda during the Covid-19 pandemic. She closed streets to cars, created miles of cycling routes and opened schools to the community as recreational spaces. Barcelona, Bogota, Melbourne and many other cities are also starting to adopt policies to create these 15-minute cities. But in one British city things haven't gone to plan.

Last year, the Oxford city council endorsed the idea in its local plan for 2040. Separately Oxfordshire County Council proposed a trial to install traffic filters on six roads in 2024 to ease congestion. They plan to issue a limited driving permit for those roads and they could find people who use them too often. These two plans were met with a major backlash. People linking the two proposals took to the streets claiming the government is planning to confine them in their neighborhoods and restrict their freedom.

The people’s discomfort was fueled by conspiracy theorists. For them, the governments are imposing climate lockdowns under the guise of a green agenda. They say, traffic cameras are watching their movements and residents will be restricted from leaving their designated zones.

There's also a big communication problem. The council has not adequately explained changes or engaged in much public consultation. Many urban planners say a more holistic approach is needed to avoid deepening existing inequalities and social divides in the cities. They claim local participation in addressing the needs of different communities are key to having better cities. 

Elisa Pieri (Lecturer in Sociology at Manchester University) says, 

“Making a Space more livable is something we can certainly achieve. But we need to make sure that the amenities are up to high standards. Marginalized neighborhoods could be landed with terrible doctors and schools. It could bring about further discrimination and inequality and territorial stigmatization.” 

It is a difficult task to redesign infrastructure built for cars over decades and to create an equitable space for all. The 15-minute city is just one idea aiming to solve a big problem as more and more people migrate to cities urban planners will have their work cut out for them. 

The concept of the 15-minute city has emerged as a promising solution to the challenges posed by urbanization. It envisions a city where essential services are accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride, leading to sustainable and green living with more local engagement. The idea has gained traction in cities like Paris, Barcelona, Bogota, and Melbourne. However, the rollout of the concept has faced opposition due to poor advocacy, inadequate public consultation, and conspiracy theories. While creating livable and equitable spaces is achievable, it requires a holistic approach that ensures high standards of amenities for all communities. The 15-minute city may be just one idea, but it offers a significant step towards building a cleaner and greener future for urban dwellers. As more people migrate to cities, it will be crucial for urban planners to continue innovating and finding new solutions to make our cities more livable and sustainable for everyone.