The Potential Role of Railway Stations and Public Transport Nodes in the Development of “15-Minute Cities”

Abstract

In 2016, Carlos Moreno proposed the concept of “15-minute cities” based on the principles of proximity, diversity, density, and ubiquity. In fact, he re-formulated (“re-invented”) some of the already existing planning principles, making them recognized and desired by non-professionals. Moreno, however, paid little attention to the external connectivity of neighborhoods, assuming that most needs would be satisfied locally. This paper aims to discuss the concept of “15-minute cities” from the transport planning point of view and investigate how the concept can contribute to such planning. The research review conducted in this paper suggests that similar actions in the past caused a modal shift from the use of cars to public transport, rather than a radical limitation of total transport needs. To simplify, if a neighborhood is well designed, people are more likely to walk, ride a bike, and use public transport, but the majority will still commute outside of the neighborhood for work. In the metropolis of the ideal “15-minute city”, Barcelona, the majority of the inhabitants travel to work either by car or public transport, which proves that they need to move outside the neighborhood. This leads us to the conclusions that (1) “15-minute cities” should incorporate the transit-oriented development concept and include public transport nodes, such as railways or underground stations, as the central point of walkable, multifunctional neighborhoods, and (2) railway/underground station planners should pay more attention to the creation of a proper mix of services at and around the stations according to “15-minute cities” principles. In the future, there should also be more emphasis on re-allocating workplaces to neighborhoods, as well as on researching the actual impact of the (improved and current) “15-minute cities” design on transport volumes.

Enhancing Access to Urban Hill Parks: The Montjuïc Trail Masterplan and the 360° Route Design in Barcelona

“…Finally, the accesses were evaluated by merging the 15 min isochrones (500 m) by foot from each access to account for the total population nearby. Another additional check was carried out by recalculating the 15 min isochrones using public transportation, following the trend of extending the notion of the "15 min city" to transit-oriented development [50]. To do this, the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) files of the public transportation systems that operate within the study area of the city of Barcelona were utilized for a typical weekday morning.…”

Walkability Infrastructures and Urban Rebalancing: The Case Study of L’Aquila City under Post-Earthquake Reconstruction

“…A third approach, which has been very little investigated compared to the first two, relates walkability to the concept of the 15-min city [38]. In this sense, Rhoads et al [39] proposed a framework for assessing multi-factor walkability using percolation theory and insights into pedestrian behavior.…”

“…The next section reports on the initial findings of the works conducted on it. The goal of the proximity approach is to establish a relationship between the parts of the city and the users, the citizens, by verifying whether the pedestrian paths are efficient for accessing the main services and facilities, bus stops, and consequently urban centralities [44], also referring to the concept of the 15-min city [38,39].…”

Evaluation Methodology of the Railway Stations Using the AHP Method in the Transport Hubs from the Freight Transport Point of View

“…Therefore, it is necessary to adapt the railway infrastructure in the city according to the transport needs of its inhabitants, with an emphasis on building railway stations and stops in the most suitable places. From the point of view of freight transport, it is necessary to assess whether it is a train-forming station or only an intermediate station [7,8].…”