Introducing the “15-Minute City”: Sustainability, Resilience and Place Identity in Future Post-Pandemic Cities

Abstract

The socio-economic impacts on cities during the COVID-19 pandemic have been brutal, leading to increasing inequalities and record numbers of unemployment around the world. While cities endure lockdowns in order to ensure decent levels of health, the challenges linked to the unfolding of the pandemic have led to the need for a radical re-think of the city, leading to the re-emergence of a concept, initially proposed in 2016 by Carlos Moreno: the “15-Minute City”. The concept, offering a novel perspective of “chrono-urbanism”, adds to existing thematic of Smart Cities and the rhetoric of building more humane urban fabrics, outlined by Christopher Alexander, and that of building safer, more resilient, sustainable and inclusive cities, as depicted in the Sustainable Development Goal 11 of the United Nations. With the concept gaining ground in popular media and its subsequent adoption at policy level in a number of cities of varying scale and geographies, the present paper sets forth to introduce the concept, its origins, intent and future directions.

Levels and Characteristics of Utilitarian Walking in the Central Areas of the Cities of Bologna and Porto

“…The time spent walking mostly comprised between 10 to 20 min (44%) and between 20 to 30 min (28%). These travel times were quite long considering the nature of utilitarian walking trips: they are much longer than the referential 10 and 15 min reported in some travel studies [14,18,37,82] and longer than the walking trips reported in other Southern European countries. For instance, in the Spanish city of Granada, Ferrer and Ruiz [30] described that 80% of walking trips are shorter than 20 min.…”

“…Short trips are differently understood, but have been classified as trips under 5 km in length [17]. Under the concepts of 10-min walk [14] and 15-min walkable neighborhoods [18], walking is a mode generally suited for travelling distances ranging from about 0.8 to 1.5 km. For greater distances, walking can be combined with public transport, but cycling is also a suitable alternative for short trips up to 5 km [18].…”

The impact of COVID-19 related regulations and restrictions on mobility and potential for sustained climate mitigation across the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK: A data-based commentary.

“…Local living promotes sustainability and liveability, along with improving the well-being, social and economic aspects of the lives of citizens. Local living allows citizens the opportunity to shift from a car-dependent urban structure to relying mainly on walking and cycling, significantly reducing carbon emissions (Moreno et al, 2021). Moving from concept to practice, the Netherlands and some parts of London have introduced low-traffic neighbourhoods where private motor vehicles can only access businesses and homes and cannot cross through neighbourhoods (Sustrans, 2020).…”

Urban Quality Assessment of Public Housing Estates in Murcia, Spain (Vistabella 1940–1950s, La Paz 1960s, La Fama 1970s). Threats or Opportunities for the Medium-Sized Contemporary City?

“…Nowadays, we can analyse the characteristics of residential environments, and their ability to offer complex, sustainable and healthy daily life experiences for their inhabitants. We can evaluate time as a parameter of quality [1], as well as the ways in which these environments position themselves in reaction to cities that are increasingly centres of speculation, globalisation, pollution, fragmentation and, as soon as the opportunity arises, tourism [2].…”

“…Nowadays, urban development agendas increasingly feature objectives to address the climate emergency, improve public health and enhance the quality of everyday life. We can see this modernisation already underway in cities such as Paris (Le Paris du 1 4 heure), Melbourne (Croydon South, Strathmore and Sunshine West), London (Every One Every Day) [9] or Barcelona (super blocks and green axes) [10].…”