15 Minute city: urban mobility solution to the environment?
By 2050, almost 70% of the people are projected to live in urban areas. In most modern cities, the space is designed to allow fast traffic flow, especially aimed at the car. A large part of the public space is occupied by roads that have to take you quickly from A to B. Unfortunately, people lose a lot of time in city traffic jams. The role of cities is admittedly decisive in a paradigm shift, since urban areas are responsible for 70% of emissions. With our cities expected to grow, some experts agree that new urban planning is necessary in order to improve quality of life and save the environment.
Since the outbreak of COVID and even before cities like Copenhagen and Paris have been introducing new urban models. From car-free cities, to superblocks, the compact city to the 15-minute city. All models seem to have the same goal: prioritise walking and cycling to make cities and its citizens healthier.
Compact city
Compact cities are characterised by higher residential density, shorter distance and greater diversity. By offering healthier mobility opportunities, making land use more diverse and shortening trips, the city becomes more compact increasing the quality of life.
Car-free city
In car-free cities governments aim to reduce the use of privately owned motorized vehicles and motivate people to use active and public transportation facilitating easy access. By reducing air pollution and increasing physical movement, the city of Hamburg plans to be car-free by 2034.
Superblocks
A superblock is similar to a low traffic neighbourhood. In certain blocks motorized traffic is banned and more space is provided for active travel, people and green space. In Barcelona the government plans to create 500+ superblocks which is estimated to prevent 700 premature deaths yearly in the city.
What is a 15 minute city?
A 15 minute city is a city that requires minimal travel among houses, parks, office, restaurants, schools. Every essential amenity is within a 15 minute walk or cycle. Regardless of whether you live in the centre or in another neighbourhood, each neighbourhood fulfils six social functions: living, working, supplying, caring, learning and enjoying. Essential facilities include:
- Work
- Shops
- Healthcare
- Schools
- Cultural facilities
- Sports and leisure
- Parks
Source: Paris en Commun“15-minute city” concept sketch. Clockwise from the top the headings read: Education, Work, Knowledge Exchange, Shopping, Recreation, Community Engagement, Health, Public Transport, Exercise, and Nutrition. (Image credit: Ubique)
The idea
A driving force behind the 15-minute city is Carlos Moreno, scientist at Sorbonne Business School and an expert in urban planning. He wants to achieve two things: the quality of life in the city must be improved and at the same time the burden on the environment must be reduced. In the 15 minute city that Moreno envisions, people spend less time and energy traveling. There is more time and space for meeting people. In addition, there is little car traffic, resulting in less emissions. In order to offer this quality of life, according to Carlos Moreno a 15-minute city consists of four main principles: density, proximity, diversity and ubiquity. These components go across the six essential social urban functions mentioned above.
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