A city of cities: Measuring how 15-minutes urban accessibility shapes human mobility in Barcelona

Abstract

As cities expand, human mobility has become a central focus of urban planning and policy making to make cities more inclusive and sustainable. Initiatives such as the “15-minutes city” have been put in place to shift the attention from monocentric city configurations to polycentric structures, increasing the availability and diversity of local urban amenities. Ultimately they expect to increase local walkability and increase mobility within residential areas. While we know how urban amenities influence human mobility at the city level, little is known about spatial variations in this relationship. Here, we use mobile phone, census, and volunteered geographical data to measure geographic variations in the relationship between origin-destination flows and local urban accessibility in Barcelona. Using a Negative Binomial Geographically Weighted Regression model, we show that, globally, people tend to visit neighborhoods with better access to education and retail. Locally, these and other features change in sign and magnitude through the different neighborhoods of the city in ways that are not explained by administrative boundaries, and that provide deeper insights regarding urban characteristics such as rental prices. In conclusion, our work suggests that the qualities of a 15-minutes city can be measured at scale, delivering actionable insights on the polycentric structure of cities, and how people use and access this structure.

Achieving ‘Active’ 30 Minute Cities: How Feasible Is It to Reach Work within 30 Minutes Using Active Transport Modes?

“…Different models of urban development are needed to maintain the livability of rapidly growing and congested cities. Globally, some initiatives examine the concept of a 15 min neighborhood [26][27][28]; however, in Australia, the focus of this study, the Victorian Government proposes a city of '20 min neighborhoods' following similar initiatives to those in Portland, OR, USA [29] and Tempe, Arizona [30]. In the 20 min neighborhood ideal, residents have access to important destinations including essential shops, services and public transport within 800 m, offering a 20 min return walking trip from home [31].…”

Can the Pandemic Be a Catalyst of Spatial Changes Leading Towards the Smart City?

“…Mobility and public transportation refer to balancing and reducing the dependence of residents on the car, promoting public transport and planning transport in the spirit of the idea of the smart city (Diao, 2019;Nakamura & Hayashi, 2013). The city is developed to allow access to primary services on foot-following the idea of chronourbanism (Gwiazdzinski, 2015) and the 15-minute city (de Valderrama et al, 2020;Graells-Garrido et al, 2021), or even a five-minute city (Maas, 2003). In light of these trends, citizens who experience remote work or distance learning gather new habits about city mobility and space accessibility and functionality around their place of residence.…”

The 20-minute city: an equity analysis of Liverpool City Region

“…Moreno et al, 2021). Approaches have varied from walkability scores (Carr et al, 2010, Shashank andSchuurmann, 2019), to cycling mobility (McNeil, 2011) and mobility choices (Graells-Garrido et al, 2021).…”