- The benefits of this type of urban development are felt on different levels, such as health, economics, and the environment.
Fifteen-minute cities. What are they?
Fifteen-minute cities can be defined as an urban model that improves people’s quality of life by providing every neighborhood with all essential services.
The name comes from the possibility of accessing different spaces within a quarter of an hour on foot, by bicycle, or by public transport from home.
The aim is both to reduce emissions by decreasing the use of private vehicles and to improve quality of life by reducing travel.
What is the origin of fifteen-minute cities?
The concept of 15-minute cities was popularized in 2016 by French-Colombian urban planner Carlos Moreno, professor at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and advisor to the Paris mayor’s office.
The idea was conceived to decongest urban environments and improve quality of life, as mentioned above, based on other previous concepts such as Ebenezer Howard’s garden cities, Clarence Perry’s self-sufficient neighborhoods, and the contributions of Jane Jacobs, who advocated for neighborhood life and the human scale.
Ebenezer Howard: garden cities
The British Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928) advocated replacing large industrial cities with smaller settlements with more green spaces and even agricultural land.
Other features of these garden cities advocated by this London urban planner include community ownership of land, a surrounding green belt, a population cap, and a size limit.
Clarence Perry: self-sufficient neighborhoods
American Clarence Perry (1872-1944) created the concept of the “neighborhood unit,” in which he offered a pioneering vision of the need to include in urban planning an intermediate unit between urban centers and places of residence.
With the aim of strengthening the sense of community, he participated in the formation of the New York Regional Plan, where he incorporated precisely the notion of neighborhood unity.
Jane Jacobs: neighborhood life and human scale
Along the same lines was the work of fellow American Jane Jacobs (1916-2006), who advocated for the human scale, understood as the contribution of people to their own idea of the city.
Her defense of neighborhood life involved criticizing strict zoning and large highway projects in New York, exemplified by her defense of Greenwich Village, where she lived.
What are the benefits of 15-minute cities?
As mentioned above, the basic and fundamental premise underpinning 15-minute cities is the improvement of quality of life, an idea that, in itself, can be quite broad.
Health benefits
To clarify this idea, we could narrow down its benefits a little further. For example, reducing daily commutes within the city generates more free time, which can be used for various purposes such as family, rest, or leisure.
Likewise, quality of life is also improved from the point of view of physical and mental health. In the first case, traveling on foot or by bicycle means an increase in physical activity, with the consequent reduction in sedentary lifestyles and other indirect consequences such as a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
On a mental level, the reduction in traffic jams and minimization of travel also leads to a reduction in stress and anxiety associated with traffic.
Environmental benefits
The reduction in travel also has environmental benefits, as lower greenhouse gas emissions lead to improved air quality.
Fifteen-minute cities also tend to have pedestrian areas, bike lanes, and green spaces, which help to reduce urban temperatures.
Other advantages
Economically, fifteen-minute cities boost local trade, reviving the neighborhood economy and benefiting local businesses.
From a community perspective, they also promote social cohesion, as increased interaction between neighbors helps to strengthen a sense of belonging and community.
