What is the concept of 15-minute cities?
Imagine if someone can easily walk or ride their bicycle to school, work, the park, or the movie theatre, all within just 15 minutes of their home. This is the idea of the '15-minute city.' This was first suggested by Professor Carlos Moreno (a Columbian-French author and urbanist). It gained much relevance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people didn't want to be on crowded buses or trains, so they started walking or riding bicycles instead. This made the idea of a 15-minute city even more popular. Even the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, is working to make Paris a 15-minute city. This concept is also being promoted in cities like Melbourne, Shanghai, Oslo, etc.
What are some benefits of 15-minute cities?
When Carlos Moreno came up with this idea, he thought about ways to improve city people's quality of life while protecting the environment. Automobiles can cause a lot of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s why many governments promote cycling, walking, taking public transportation, etc.
In 15-minute cities, cleaner transport like bicycles would be used, causing less carbon dioxide emissions. If everything one needed were just a 15-minute walk or bicycle ride away, they wouldn't need a car. This would make the air cleaner and reduce pollution.
Fewer cars also mean less traffic and less noise. People would walk or ride bicycles more, which is good for one’s health. These are some benefits of 15-minute cities. However, there has been some controversy regarding such cities.
What are the controversies surrounding 15-minute cities?
Many conspiracy theorists say that the idea of 15-minute cities has been developed so that governments can control people's lives. They make false claims, like saying people won't be allowed to travel more than 15 minutes from their homes in these cities.
Other people worry that 15-minute cities will take away their freedom to drive anywhere they want. Some even think the government created this concept to keep people locked in their neighbourhoods. There have been protests against the idea.
What’s the future of 15-minute cities?
Despite the controversies, the 15-minute city concept is liked by many governments and people. However, it might take more time, effort, and monetary investment to transform large cities where people rely on cars to move around into 15-minute cities.
