FOCUS ON CLIMATE: A widely used model to connect residents to essentials like jobs, healthcare and education within a 15-minute walk or bike ride
A 15-minute city is an urban planning model in which everything a resident needs in daily life is within 15 minutes walking or cycling distance.
The aim is to reduce car use and promote walking, cycling and public transport. The original idea can be traced back to 1902.
The 15-minute city model was last revived in 2016 by French economics professor Carlos Moreno and gained popularity after the Covid epidemic as it would reduce travel within a city.
Moreno listed the six essential features residents should be able to access within a 15-minute drive from home. These include: housing, work, healthcare, commerce, education and entertainment (it goes without saying that the model should also include recreation and green spaces).
The 15-minute city model is important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from cities.
Commuting time in Canada averages 26 minutes one-way in 2024 (Statistics Canada), and nearly a tenth of commuters require a one-way trip of more than an hour.
Eighty percent of commutes are made using private vehicles and the associated greenhouse gas emissions.
The model is being developed alongside green infrastructure that uses natural systems to improve air and water quality and biodiversity: innovations such as permeable sidewalks, rain gardens and green roofs.
The concept is currently being put into practice in many cities. There are already 50 15-minute “cities” in Paris.
Even before this model was planned, 94 percent of Parisians lived within five minutes of a bakery to get their daily baguette.
Melbourne, Australia's fastest growing city, incorporates this planning framework; crucial due to its expansive nature.
Ottawa has adopted the concept and refers to these neighborhoods as “15-minute neighborhoods.”
Other cities that are intensively exploring the use of the concept include Barcelona (Spain), Shanghai (China), Bogota (Colombia), Portland (Oregon) and Milan (Italy).
The benefits of 15-minute cities are not limited to reducing greenhouse gases.
Reducing the use of private vehicles will also reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality (even with electric vehicles, tire dust is a significant source of air pollution), boost the local economy and create more opportunities for social interactions.
Of course there will be obstacles, the biggest being the redevelopment of existing cities.
Another unforeseen problem is that the concept has been the subject of a conspiracy theory: the main goal of governments with this concept is to confine citizens to small areas of a city in order to better control them.
This has become so entrenched that Moreno has received death threats and some cities, including Oxford, England, no longer use the term.
However, as the world grapples with reducing greenhouse gases to combat climate change and make cities more livable, this model will undoubtedly be used more frequently by urban planners for the benefit of all city residents.
Eli Pivnick is a former entomologist and member of Climate Action Now! North Okanagan.