The 15-Minute City. Proximity Urban Living

La 15 Minute City promotes a new model of urban life and enjoyment based on the concept of proximity. This model, championed by Anne Hidalgo in 2020, rethinks urban mobility and promotes more sustainable lifestyles. Alongside these two principles, it also supports more cohesive communities.

The 15-Minute City also supports Goal 11 of the 2030 Agenda, which promotes safe and affordable access to all services. It also aims to reduce pollution, increase green spaces, and encourage low-impact mobility.

What is the 15-Minute City?

At the basis of the model of the 15 Minute City There is a principle that all essential services must be accessible to citizens within 15 minutes (on foot or by bicycle). These services include, for example, workplaces, hospitals, shops, etc.

This model was developed by Carlos Moreno for cities with a low environmental impact, where social relations are encouraged and a sense of community is strengthened. It thus becomes a response to the problems of large megacities, where citizens are often marginalized with respect to services. The Colombian theorist developed this model, which envisions cities being divided into small, self-sufficient neighborhoods capable of providing all the necessary services to their citizens.

The 15-Minute City: A Model Based on 4 Principles

For his 15-Minute City, Carlos Moreno has theorized a model based on four key principles capable of responding to the problems of large cities.

• Inclusivity: understood as access to services. Every citizen must have equal access to the services offered by the city.
• Diversity: The services available in neighborhoods must be varied and multiple, as well as including essential ones.
• Prossimita: services must be reachable within 15 minutes.
• Sustainability: promote the use of sustainable means of transport, reducing car use as much as possible.

The 15-Minute City: What are the benefits?

Among the advantages of living in a 15-Minute City, there is definitely an improvement in the Work-life balanceIn fact, rethinking cities as a collection of small centers where people can live, travel, work, and access services represents a clear advantage for their residents.

Being able to get around on foot or by bicycle also significantly reduces CO2 emissions, thus reducing pollution and improving air quality. This improves the health and well-being of citizens, while also reducing noise pollution in cities. The model also includes parks, green spaces, and sports facilities in every micro-area of the city, thus promoting a healthy lifestyle and encouraging physical activity.

The model encourages socialization, aiming to strengthen existing ties and create new ones, reducing inequalities. Finally, by promoting local trade, it limits the effects of uncontrolled globalization andovertourism.

The 15-Minute City: What are the disadvantages?

Although the model promotes sustainable, accessible and inclusive neighborhoods, it still poses a risk in terms ofsocial exclusionIn fact, there is a danger that some areas of the city will develop unevenly, remaining marginalized.

This risk obviously doesn't affect all areas of the city, but rather those historically marginalized neighborhoods that are less likely to receive investment. This would lead to increased inequality and even more serious marginalization.

The improvement of some neighborhoods compared to others could exaggerate the phenomenon of gentrificationThis would make the city even more repellent and inaccessible, due, for example, to rising rents and the cost of living. To make the 15-Minute City model truly efficient and inclusive, public administrations must adopt policies that ensure balanced investmentsThe aim is to prevent the risk that some parts of the city and its citizens are marginalised or even forced to leave parts of the city that have become inaccessible and economically unsustainable.

Paris a model of success

Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, made the 2020-minute city in 15 one of the cornerstones of his administrationSince then, new areas of the city have been developed and numerous neighborhoods have been regenerated. More than 100 parks and green areas.

Outlying and underserved neighborhoods receive financial support. This is to support small businesses that would otherwise struggle to stay open. Furthermore, local mobility is supported by electric charging stations.

Not only Paris, but other cities around the world are trying to promote the 15-Minute City model. Among them are London, Helsinki, Vancouver, Bogota, and Melbourne.

The 15-Minute City and sustainable mobility policies

It is clear that to satisfy the 5 principles around which the 15 Minute City revolves, it is necessary to implement sustainable mobility policies. That is, building networks and cycle paths, incentivize the use of public transportation, and promote shared mobility models. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the use of data-driven technologies and artificial intelligence to optimize the city's resources and reduce consumption.

It's clear that Smart Cities play a key role in pursuing the 15-Minute City model. Indeed, the integration of new technologies and sustainable urban planning will be increasingly strong in the future. This must be combined with sustainable mobility policies, urban regeneration initiatives, and the creation of accessible green spaces.