15 minute cities

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fillyboy

fillyboy

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15-minute cities are an urban design concept meant to improve accessibility for residents, and thus decrease pollution. The focus is to create neighborhoods and cities where all essential services can be reached within 15 minutes ideally by foot and cycle.

A blueprint for post-Covid-19 recovery.

The 15-minute city is a proposal for developing a polycentric city, where density is made pleasant, one's proximity is vibrant, and social intensity (a large number of productive, intricately linked social ties) is real.
Carlos Moreno first proposed the 15-minute city in 2016. Others have proposed similar but varying models within the field of "chrono-urbanism".



One of the scariest things I've read in a long time, and it's starting to happen, now.
 
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15 minute city plans cause controversy

Martin Alfonsin Larsen reports on the controversy surrounding Oxford City Council's 15 minute city proposal.
www.oxfordstudent.com www.oxfordstudent.com

15 minute city zones that have been proposed by Oxford City Council as part of the Local Plan 2040 have garnered significant controversy. The plan, which will see traffic filters installed on six roads as part of a £6.5m trial, is set to commence in 2024. Under these new filters, residents will be able to drive freely around their own neighbourhoods but will be fined up to £70 for driving into other neighbourhoods through the filters. The plan’s aim is to create neighbourhoods in Oxford where ‘essential’ facilities are accessible by a walking distance of up to 15 minutes. These facilities were determined by a 2022 civilian consultation of over 5,000 stakeholders.

Such facilities in a prospective 15 minute city include shops selling food and other essentials, parks and green spaces, postal services, health services including a GP and pharmacy, social and hospitality outlets like coffee shops, and banking services. The Local Plan 2040 also aims to address issues relating to disparities in service provision, with the council stating that they want to ensure that ‘areas of the city such as Barton, Blackbird Leys and Rose Hill have all the essential services that areas such as East Oxford and Jericho already have’.

The City Council has asserted that the plan’s intent is not to coerce residents into staying in one neighbourhood, but to address ‘awful’ congestion in the city centre which it argues is making public transport in Oxford ‘unviable’. The traffic filters will not take the form of physical barricades; instead, new traffic cameras which can read number plates will be installed. These were first introduced in 2015 as part of the Oxford Transport Strategy, with Magdalen Street being covered by one. Filters will operate on St Cross Road, Thames Street, Hythe Bridge Street and St Clements from 7am to 7pm, with more on Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way operating from Monday to Saturday.

These assurances have not stopped the plan from being criticised by a plethora of stakeholders and political commentators. Online media personality Jordan Peterson has criticised ‘idiot tyrannical bureaucrats’ who ‘decide by fiat where you’re “allowed” to drive’ and labelled the filters ‘part of a well-documented plan’, while far-right commentator Katie Hopkins labelled the plans ‘coercive’, drawing parallels with tyranny that she perceived in COVID lockdown laws.

Peterson’s labelling of the 15-minute city zones as part of a ‘well-documented plan’ has been linked to debunked conspiracy theories regarding a ‘great reset’, which claim that elites and groups like the World Economic Forum, which convened in Davos, Switzerland from January the 16th to the 20th, aim to take away basic rights from citizens in the new post-COVID world. Some residents have also critiqued the plan, with 3,400 signing a petition against new filters for Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way. Another 1,700 people have signed a petition asking the Council to reconsider, over fears Botley Road in the west of Oxford will be inundated with traffic. A protest was also organised by Not Our Future, a right-wing populist pressure group, which has labelled leading politicians as part of a ‘Blob’ that has conspired to deprive political power from ‘the people’. Over 250 volunteers were confirmed.
 
The modern city/town centre is moving towards residential rather than shops, a pub/restaurant/leisure night time economy and a residential core. Covid and the internet have done for many town centres; the ones that are doing better are those with small independent shops.

Blup
 
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blup said:
The modern city/town centre is moving towards residential rather than shops, a pub/restaurant/leisure night time economy and a residential core. Covid and the internet have done for many town centres; the ones that are doing better are those with small independent shops.

Blup
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This.

Like it or not, we have moved away from town centre shopping. If you haven't supported it, don't cry about losing it.

We are following the american system where its a shopping complex with good parking, each complex trying to compete against the others to gain custom.
 
It's the local economy that causes traffic. They see the solution to traffic is creating these barriers to traffic.

It will destroy the local economy.
 
carmanmemoranda said:
Like it or not, we have moved away from town centre shopping. If you haven't supported it, don't cry about losing it.

We are following the american system where its a shopping complex with good parking, each complex trying to compete against the others to gain custom.
Click to expand...

We've been doing that for donkeys years, not only is the parking good, it's free. I'm happy to shop in town, I'm happy to shop out of town, I'm not happy about being prevented from moving from one part of town to another, or being kept in a 'zone'.
 
fillyboy said:
We've been doing that for donkeys years, not only is the parking good, it's free. I'm happy to shop in town, I'm happy to shop out of town, I'm not happy about being prevented from moving from one part of town to another, or being kept in a 'zone'.
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So you haven't been internet shopping for your goods then?

When was the last time you visited xyz areas of your town ? No doubt you go to the same pubs, shops, schools, parks and very rarely change destinations.

Traffic is a major issue, not sure this is the best answer, but its no different to ulez zones and similar.

Its just a way of persuading (forcing) you to think about different methods of transport.
 
What's the area covered by a 15 minute city. Given it takes about 15 minutes to walk a mile.
 
Dork Lard said:
It's the local economy that causes traffic. They see the solution to traffic is creating these barriers to traffic.

It will destroy the local economy.
Click to expand...
Studies stated that 30% of traffic is made up of vehicles looking for parking spaces. Remove red and yellow lines and reduce traffic/emissions.
 
Ihavenojob said:
Studies stated that 30% of traffic is made up of vehicles looking for parking spaces. Remove red and yellow lines and reduce traffic/emissions.
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I have never been asked what I'm doing when I've been driving around looking for a parking space. I have never seen anyone out with a clipboard observing me looking for a parking space.

What study & where does your 30% come from???
 
Dork Lard said:
I have never been asked what I'm doing when I've been driving around looking for a parking space. I have never seen anyone out with a clipboard observing me looking for a parking space.

What study & where does your 30% come from???
Click to expand...

6 out of 7 dwarfs aren't 'Happy'.
 
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