The “15-minute city” concept, sprung from academia, is gaining influence in many cities. The model aims to create neighborhoods in which almost all residents’ needs can be met within 15 minutes of their homes on foot, by bike, or on public transit.
Under this vision, all urban dwellers would have welcoming streetscapes, parks, and plazas, along with easy access to necessities such as groceries, close by their homes. It is an old concept—cities evolved along those lines before the automobile.
In Paris, where the mayor has fully embraced the concept, many neighborhoods already display the traits of a 15-minute city. But, some working-class neighborhoods lack necessary amenities such as grocery stores, sports centers, and clinics, and those are the areas where most of the transformative work has to be done.
One response has been the remodeling of 41 Parisian school grounds that were planted with trees and soft, rain-absorbent surfaces to help battle summer heat. The yards are available after school for use as public gardens or sports grounds. Cars were banned or severely limited in surrounding streets, and trees and benches have been added in the streetscape.
It would be far more difficult to make such a transformation in younger, sprawling cities found in North America or Australia, where cars are the dominant form of transportation.
Related Stories
| Mar 15, 2012
ANSI approves new fall protection standards
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has approved two American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) standards addressing fall protection.
| Mar 8, 2012
Engineering innovation provides new option for meeting seismic codes in skyscrapers
Two University of Toronto engineers have developed “viscoelastic-energy-dissipating dampers” to replace many of the heavy concrete beams used in tall structures.
| Mar 8, 2012
CSI webinar on building code compliance March 22
A March 22 webinar will provide an overview of a 28-step process during the design of a building to ensure compliance with building codes.
| Mar 8, 2012
Federal silica dust rule caught in bureaucratic limbo
A federal rule meant to protect the lungs of workers has been caught in bureaucratic purgatory for more than a year.
| Mar 8, 2012
New LEED-EBOM rating has requirements for specific project types
Several key changes are proposed for the LEED-EBOM Rating System in 2012.
| Mar 8, 2012
Green buildings more resilient than conventionally built structures
A new study by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning suggests that structures built to green standards can advance building resiliency.
| Mar 1, 2012
LEED Platinum standard likely to mean net-zero energy by 2018
As LEED standards continue to rise, the top level, LEED Platinum, will likely mean net-zero energy construction by 2018.
| Mar 1, 2012
EPA beefs up stormwater discharge rule from construction projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has now finalized its 2012 construction general permit (CGP) that authorizes stormwater discharges from construction projects that disturb one or more acres of land in the areas where EPA is the permitting authority.
