During the COVID-19 pandemic, commuting distances to access preliminary services and continuing daily activities became difficult. Social distancing came into action and our neighborhoods were the maximum proximity we could access. This pandemic brought to light the lack of easy access to urban services and amenities and the need for a people-centric approach to urban planning.

A researcher and urbanist professor Carlos Moreno introduced the concept of 15-minute cities in 2015 which gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Let us dive into the details of what the model offers to the urban fabric and its impact.

What is the 15-minute city concept?

A 15-minute city is a concept where all essential services like schools, healthcare facilities, offices, and daily essential stores should be accessible within a 15-minute distance from our home. This newly prospering paradigm of urban planning, 15-minute cities was developed in response to the pressing issues of urban climate change, high carbon emission in cities shows our reliance on carbon fuels for transportation and urban segmentation, says Professor Carlos Moreno in an interview.?

The primary objective behind developing this concept is to create social inclusivity and a happy living environment within the urban context. The model offers a global framework that can be implemented in the local context of cities worldwide and potentially transform cities and urban lifestyles.

Benefits, Limitations, and its Impact

How can 15-minute cities improve quality of life?

The 15-minute city design principles are underpinned by distinctive ideas to reshape and reconfigure cities, reframe local activities, and counter the decade-long urban segmentation. Adapting sustainable urban development to 15-minute cities can be a real game changer! Think more green pockets, and more pedestrianized spaces, would this be the future of urban living?

Bonus tip: Check out the book by Professor Carlos Moreno,  titled ?The 15-minute City: A Solution to Saving Our Time and Planet? and get more insights into the implementation of the 15-minute cities concept.

Benefits

Apart from improving quality of life and saving time, there are countless benefits of 15-minute cities. To list a few, 

• Accessibility of necessary amenities within proximity promotes pedestrian movement and less use of cars, lowering carbon mobility. 
• The limited use of automobiles reduces traffic congestion and improves air quality. 
• Planning public spaces like parks, cycling tracks, and other leisure spaces, supports social interactions among people and creates a vibrant neighbourhood.?
• Integration of green spaces and improved air quality ensues enhanced public health.
• Bringing business to the neighbourhood creates numerous employment opportunities, boosting the local economy. 

Challenges

With benefits, all initiatives bring challenges and criticism that test their potential. Likewise, the challenges in implementing the 15-minute cities are:

• Transitioning from just a theoretical concept into reality. 
• Development and implementation of ideas to establish urban solutions.
• Efficient planning of zones and density without creating congestion.
• Plausibility of potential social inequalities and seclusion of communities.

Despite certain challenges, various cities around the world are implementing the 15-minute city urban planning model. For instance, cities like Scotland, South America, Africa, and Seuss, through customisation, have come up with similar approaches concerning the local context of each city.

The ?20-minute Neighborhoods? of Melbourne is one of the famed 15-minute cities examples that were effectuated for concrete transformation and Paris is one of the first cities to implement and adapt to this model.

Paris and its 15-minute neighbourhoods

On 1st June 2021, the mayor of Paris adopted this initiative aspiring to create a self-sufficient neighbourhood and thereby, announced the road map of the 15-minute city. It is based on 2 aspects:

1. To alter the local governance and move towards decentralization.
2. To develop a backbone of local services.

But what measures is the city of Paris taking to accomplish its goal?

Pragmatic application begins with redeveloping partially used buildings like offices into multifunctional spaces like restaurants, and art galleries. Redeveloping the banks of the Seine near ?lot Saint Germain, Paris including restricted car mobility and pedestrianizing the entire stretch. Also, the addition of shaded seating and plantations has enhanced the spatial quality for the better.

With the appropriate distribution of density and developed transportation, the city has now become immensely accessible. Consequently, Paris has also achieved improved air quality and enhanced lifestyles.

Does the idea of 15-minute cities have roots in India?

Will the concept of 15-minute cities fit into the Indian context?

Well, history says a strong YES!

Over centuries, the nation has strategically planned cities like Jaipur and Chandigarh, keeping the culture, and geographical identity in place. From healthcare facilities to essential services, and cultural spaces it encompasses all of them, accessible to people within minutes from their home.

Post-COVID-19, the need arose to analyze and bring to the table the gaps and shortcomings between the present urban needs and the current planning models. Until today, numerous urban planning models and design principles have been experimented with in cities, though some failed, and some succeeded. 

Reimagining the urban aspects and remodelling cities with time and needs has become an urgency. And the future sees many more concepts and planning strategies that will evolve. To conclude, is the concept of 15-minute cities the real future of urban planning? Will it improve the urban lifestyle? Only time can reveal the potential it seems.

Sources

• https://urbandesignlab.in/15-minute-city-a-vision-for-the-future/
• https://youtu.be/a1tUy8uqlOE?si=JZUddRsczRobFkVV
• https://youtu.be/n3u9Oax-dZs?si=g8xoPVZWVa-fD9-s
• https://www.ucem.ac.uk/whats-happening/articles/15-minute-city/#:~:text=What%20is%20a%2015%2Dminute,within%20a%2015%2Dminute%20journey.
• https://www.downtoearth.org.in/climate-change/climate-change-intensifying-extreme-weather-in-nepal-warns-icimod
• https://www.fastcompany.com/91119919/how-paris-became-a-15-minute-city