The crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has accentuated the desire to live in towns, neighborhoods and small ‘human-sized’ cities. This reality has once again put on the table the concept of ‘city of 15 minutes’. A more livable city oriented to people, instead of cars. Its defenders believe that this model could help the economic recovery after the pandemic.
The idea is to promote the return to a ‘local way of life’yet model based on small self-sufficient communities, where city dwellers have access to all their essential needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. This is, improve quality of life through ‘hyper-proximity’.
The concept is based on the work carried out more than 100 years ago by the American planner Clarence Perry, rescued in the sixties by his compatriot Jane Jacobs, redefined by the Franco-Colombian scientist Carlos Moreno and popularized by the mayor of Paris and candidate for the presidential ones, Anne Hidalgo.
This urban proposal was ‘adopted’ in May 2020 by the C40 Climate Leadership Groupmade up of a group of cities from around the world, including Madrid and Barcelona, which join forces to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere and adapt to climate change. It was his response not only to the climate crisis, but also to the urban effects of the covid-19 crisis.
The ‘city of 15 minutes’ is based on a vision of ‘polycentric city‘, a decentralized, sectorized structurewhich transcends the urban to cover the territory, combining development and competitive cooperation at an economic, social and environmental level between its parts, all articulated through efficient communication networks.
Less contamination
A recent scientific study reveals that contamination between individuals is much slower in localities that follow this model, since most of its inhabitants do not have to go through the same concentration sites every day. And because most of them do not even depend on public transport, since they can go on foot or by bicycle to work, school, the basic health unit or the local business.
A) Yes, Reducing the need for long trips not only reduces the circulation of viruses and pollution, but also strengthens local communities and economies.
This model also strengthens neighborly relationswhich psychologists consider extremely important in situations such as the current pandemic, in which human beings need cooperation and care.
A ’15-minute city’ allows inhabitants to respond to their needs organized into six categories: live, work, get supplies, take care of health, get educated and have fun.
But, what are the essential services that must be less than a quarter of an hour from all the inhabitants? For example, the workplace, the supermarket, the public park, the school, the doctor’s office, the children’s play area…
According to Calor Moreno, scientific director of the Department of Territory and Innovation at the Sorbonne University in Paris, the city must be an ally, an inspiration and not an obstacle for the development of a full life. Therefore, it proposes an improvement in urban design that promotes healthier communities.
Instead of towns with discrete districts for living, socializing, and working, as is the case today in most large cities, Moreno’s concept sees the urban center as a tapestry of neighborhoods.
Regenerate urban neighborhoods
According to the scientist, the drastic change towards teleworking, underpinned by the pandemic, has shown that the ’15-minute city’ is not only feasible, but could be “decisive for regenerate urban neighborhoods”. Create entire neighborhoods by means of the decentralization of basic services and the development of a social and functional combination.
“There are many jobs that can be done remotely. Commuting an hour to be behind a computer in the office doesn’t make much sense if you can be behind a computer close to home. Being close to home means we can create new spaces”, highlights Moreno.
Another of his proposals is reimagine how existing infrastructures can be better used. “In a city like Paris, a building is in use 30% or 40% of the time. That means that for 60% or 70% of the day, the building is empty longer than it is in use.” It is committed to taking advantage of it to host activities other than those for which it was originally conceived.
He gives examples: disused buildings could become co-working spaces or collective work. Schools could be opened on weekends for cultural activities. A sports hall by day could be a nightclub by night. Cafes could host language classes in the evenings and public buildings could host concerts on weekends.
The ’15-minute city’ plan consists of decentralize services and rearrange the streets. This paradigm shift means stop giving 100% priority to cars and give more importance to pedestrians and cyclists.
That is, that the design is centered on the understanding of needs and wants of those who inhabit the spaces. In other words, return the streets to the people and promote human relations.
Cities that have adopted the model
Parisunder the government of Anne Hidalgo and with the guidance of Carlos Moreno, was one of the first cities that promoted a plan to encourage the development of more self-sufficient communities. The ‘Ville de quart d’heure’ seeks to transform the great city into efficient neighborhoodswith the aim of reducing pollution and creating dynamic and vital areas.
Copenhagen has also followed this path: a long time ago it put women at the center of urban mobility. bikes.
Portland adopted a groundbreaking climate action plan in the late 2000s: the 20 minute neighborhoods (’20-minute neighborhood’). The goal is that 90% of its residents can access their basic needs on foot or by bicycle in that time before 2030.
melbourne initiated a building permit reform program to support the housing diversityfunding public art installations, recreational spaces, and street renovation of activity centers.
Shanghai and Canton, in China, they also already have neighborhoods called ‘15-minute community life circles‘, in which its inhabitants can satisfy all their basic needs, at most, in that period of time.
Barcelona commitment to a system of ‘superblocks’ or ‘superblocks’ that modifies road networks in 400×400 meter blocks to improve the availability and quality of public space for leisure and community activities and for pedestrians and cyclists.
Criticism: “The model will lead to tribalism”
But there is also critics with the concept of ‘city of 15 minutes’ that predict that it will lead to tribalism and exacerbate existing urban disparities between neighborhoods.
Moreno’s answer is that cities are already very unequal today: “They are very fragmented, very segregated. We push a lot of people to the suburbs, where housing prices are lower. And we tell them ‘take the train, you can take an hour to go to work and you can be thankful for having a job because the world is one of those who get up early’”.
“We cannot continue building further and further away and build three or four new train stations and tell people ‘you have the opportunity to come’”, claims Moreno, who defends against this that the ’15-minute city’ will help social cohesion, reduce inequality and improve the quality of life of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
C40 Guide to ’15 Minute Cities’: https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/How-to-build-back-better-with-a-15-minute-city?language=en