15 Minute Cities, building back communities

With the health crisis of Covid 19 ongoing and the recent IPCC AR6 revelations regarding climate breakdown, the fragility of urban environments are brought into sharp relief. As global cities are coming in and out of various stages of lockdown and are struggling to cope with new variants of Covid, city and peri urban commuters have begun to question the status quo, particularly in relation to commuting to and from work every day and the lack of amenities at a local level. During lockdown in cities the immediate neighbourhood became the site of all major activities and with this in mind some cities considered the real possibility of the 15 minute city concept. 

C40 cities https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/How-to-build-back-better-with-a-15-minute-city?language=en_US, the international coalition of mayors of megacities focused on climate change and sustainability, have endorsed the idea of the 15 minute city as an aid to help with the Mayors Agenda for a Green and Just Recovery and as a framework for rebounding post covid in relation to protecting the environment, strengthening the economy and ensuring equity within society by cutting emissions from sectors most responsible for the climate crisis and putting inclusive climate action at the heart of recovery.

The 15 minute city, as imagined by Carlos Moreno, is intended to reconnect people to their neighbourhoods by providing all or most of their needs within a 15 minute walk from their homes. The idea is to bring amenities and work to the neighbourhoods rather than people to amenities and create proximity centred strategies intended to improve quality of life and livability of cities. In addition to localising amenities like schools and healthcare, leisure and parks, it also intends to localise the workplace. This is key to minimizing commuting times and minimizing time spent in cars. 

Most urban areas built before the invention of cars have a neighbourhood structure of a 15 minute city so restoring spaces may be relatively straightforward in some cases. For more modern megacities the problem may be more difficult as they are often built specifically with the automobile in mind. 

The 15 minute city is equitable, actively promotes diversity, reduces the need for transportation, promotes healthy lifestyle choices by encouraging walking and cycling, and saves time.