The constant uncontrolled expansion of the urban landscape worldwide creates the corresponding problems in the living conditions of the inhabitants who live in it. In the wake of the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis unfolding in front of us, it is imperative to have immediate access to basic benefits and to reduce smog and our environmental footprint. In their effort to provide a solution and create conditions for achieving maximum sustainability, several cities are going to dare a new urban project, the “15-minute cities”.
The central idea is that with the new urban planning of cities, citizens have easy and equal access to services, care and social activities in 15 minutes on foot, by bicycle or by public transport from wherever they are. The idea of this pioneering design that promises “access anywhere, anytime” belongs to Carlos Moreno, a French-Colombian researcher who states that he was influenced by the Greek mathematician Nikos Saligaros and his work in urban architecture.
It is about redesigning urban centers from a purely anthropocentric perspective that, through achieving better mobility within cities will also improve the quality of life of its inhabitants. To achieve these sustainable urban systems, it is pointed out that there is a need for the immediate decongestion of road networks (reduction of cars – increase of spaces for cyclists and pedestrians), the facilitation of access for people with disabilities anywhere, the creation of more green spaces and the creation of social structures in the city centers.
At the moment, in 16 countries in the world this program has already been implemented and its potential results seem to urge more and more to follow the example. In Europe, Paris seems to be in the lead, with its mayor implementing the idea since 2016. The aim of the redesign, according to her statements, is for schools to be the center of cities, to create many more green spaces and 140,000 car parks to be converted into playgrounds, parks and bicycle parking spaces. Another typical example is that of Shanghai where “15-minute life cycles” will be created with the same pattern to adequately meet most citizens’ needs.
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