Can 15-Minute Cities Work in America?
As the first country to be built for the car, the US pioneered single-use neighborhoods that require long drives to travel between them. New research proves there’s a better way.
An aerial image of the downtown of Chicago with building illumination at dusk.
Photographer: Michael H/Stone via Getty Images
There has been a lot of hype, and criticism, about the “15-minute city,” a model for mixed-use neighborhood planning where offices, schools, shops and parks are within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from one’s home.
Some have hailed the idea as the key to an urban utopia but have wondered if such a concept is even possible in US cities designed for cars. In the UK, alt-right influencers have gone so far as to suggest that the concept is an anti-automobile conspiracy designed to confine residents.