15 minute city

How to Build a 15-Minute City with Bicycles at the Center

From MomentumMag.com

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The concept of a 15-minute city is gaining popularity as urban planners and policymakers seek to create more livable, sustainable cities. One key element of this vision is promoting cycling as a means of transportation. By making it easy and safe to bike around town, cities can reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and enhance the quality of life for residents.

The origins of the 15-minute city can be traced back to the work of renowned urban planner and architect Carlos Moreno. In 2016, Moreno introduced the concept as a way to reimagine urban living and tackle the negative impacts of urban sprawl. The idea gained further attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the importance of local amenities and accessible services became increasingly evident.

Several cities around the world have embraced the 15-minute city concept and are working towards implementing its principles. Paris, France, under the leadership of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, has been at the forefront of this movement, aiming to transform the city into a collection of interconnected neighborhoods where residents can find everything they need within a short distance. Paris has achieved nothing short of revolutionary change, with the bicycle firmly at the centre.

There is no question that bicycles can not only help but are essential to create a 15-minute city. Here’s why.

Understand the concept of a 15-minute city

A 15-minute city is a concept where everything a person needs for their daily life is within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from their home. This includes access to basic services such as grocery stores, schools, healthcare facilities, and public transportation.

The idea is to create more livable, sustainable cities where people can easily access the resources they need without relying on cars or other forms of transportation. By promoting cycling as a means of transportation, cities can reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and enhance the quality of life for residents.

Photo by Johan Mouchet on Unsplash

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7 Reasons Why Bicycles are Perfect for the 15-Minute City

From MomentumMag.com

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In recent years, the notion of the ’15-Minute City’ has emerged as a hopeful idea for urban planners and residents alike, offering a vision of cities that are not only more sustainable but also more livable and accessible. At its core, the concept is elegantly simple: design cities where everything essential to daily life—work, education, recreation, and more—is within a 15-minute reach by walking, biking, or public transit.

Originating from the visionary mind of Paris-based urbanist Carlos Moreno, the 15-minute city embodies the ideal neighborhood where every necessity, from employment to cultural activities, is conveniently close. Paris, under the stewardship of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, has embraced this concept wholeheartedly, setting a shining example for cities worldwide.

While various transportation modes contribute to the realization of the 15-minute city, bicycles stand out as particularly conducive to its principles. Here’s how:

Efficiency in Motion

Bicycles offer a swift and efficient means of transportation, especially for short to medium distances. With dedicated bike lanes and routes, cyclists can navigate through urban landscapes with ease, sidestepping traffic congestion and reaching their destinations swiftly—perfect for the ethos of a 15-minute city.

Photo by Maksim Chernishev on Unsplash

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Pasadena is (almost) a 15-minute city

From PasadenaCSC.org

The idea of a 15-minute city is simple: a livable city should have most of the things that most people need accessible within 15 minutes by walking, biking, or riding public transit. In a 15-minute city, it should be easy and convenient to walk to a restaurant, ride a bike to the park, or take a bus to the grocery store. This includes safe options for kids to walk to school, and for at least some adults, places nearby where they could work.

This isn’t a hard thing to envision. We could debate about exactly what cities are or are not 15-minute cities, but you don’t have to look far to get the idea. Many East Coast cities have urban cores that could be called 15-minute cities. For example, someone living in Manhattan or Boston is very likely to walk or use public transportation for most of their daily trips. In Paris, many residents don’t own a car, and it’s easy to get around on a subway that goes everywhere and has typical wait times of just three or four minutes. A number of other American cities also score well as 15-minute cities, including San Francisco, Long Beach, and Seattle.

Pasadena is a well designed city

Though Pasadena is part of the megalopolis of Los Angeles, it is also a self-contained city. People who live here know that Pasadena is a wonderful place to live, and for lots of reasons. Many stem from the fact that much of Pasadena was developed in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries before automobiles became dominant. As a consequence, Pasadena has great bones, including an easy-to-navigate street grid with walkable sidewalks in most places, and a mix of land uses. As a mature city, Pasadena has areas that combine dense commercial uses and housing like Old Pasadena and the Playhouse District; high levels of employment at dispersed locations around the city; educational facilities that include not only local-serving K-12 schools but also institutions of higher learning; a major cluster of medical facilities; nice park space; and a well-developed public transportation system. So – in terms of a 15-minute city – Pasadena has many assets.  In fact, most of the elements of a 15-minute city are already here!

But, there’s an important thing missing. These elements need to be more effectively linked together to create a safe, inviting, and amenable public realm that promotes walkability and bikeability. If the purpose of a city is to minimize distance and maximize choice, putting these elements together are key to fully realizing the 15-minute city in Pasadena.

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