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About the Document
This is a perspective article published by MDPI in the journal Smart Cities in January 2021, with the author listed as Florent Pratlong. The text names Carlos Moreno as the originator of the "15-Minute City" concept, first proposed in 2016, and states that the paper sets out to introduce the concept, its origins, intent and future directions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Context: Car-Dependent Cities and the Pandemic
- The article argues that the spread of cars shaped urban sprawl, traffic congestion, poor air quality and household financial burdens.
- It states that the pandemic exposed the vulnerability of cities, with shortages of basic supplies and high unemployment, and prompted calls for proximity-based services.
- Examples cited include bicycle usage rising by over 67% in New York City in March and over 150% in Beijing, and temporary micro-markets in the Netherlands.
Related Models: 15-Minute and 20-Minute Cities
- The paper compares the concept with the 15-minute walkable neighbourhood proposed by Weng et al. in Shanghai, which it notes raised concerns about social inequality across age and economic groups.
- It also reviews the 20-Minute City model of Capasso Da Silva et al., set in Tempe, Arizona, which focuses on accessibility to opportunities rather than proximity of amenities.
Smart Cities, Collective Intelligence and Place Identity
- The article links the concept to the Smart City model, citing projections of over 75 billion IoT devices by 2025 attributed to Alam.
- It presents technologies such as bike sharing, online shopping, car sharing and drone delivery as relevant to the concept, and describes place identity as supported by digital branding.
Four Dimensions of the Modified Framework
- The paper proposes a "modified 15-Minute City" framework built on Density, Proximity, Diversity and Digitalization, identified after observing challenges in cities during COVID-19.
- Proximity is described as both temporal and spatial, and Diversity as mixed-use neighbourhoods and cultural diversity.
Methodology and Approach
- The article is described as a perspective paper that maps recent urban trends and compares the concept with similar planning models, followed by a conceptual explanation of the four dimensions.
- The authors state that further research is needed to examine the operationalisation of the concept and its replication in cities of the global south and financially constrained cities.
Why It Matters for Urban Policy
- The document says the concept is intended to inform urban planners, policy makers and city managers on proximity-based planning, and it presents the 15-Minute City as a research programme for further study of density, proximity, diversity and digitalisation.