EDITOR ' S QUESTION
The 15-minute city is not the brand-new concept of urbanism that it is currently being hailed as . The City of London ’ s square mile being one and if you know where to look , you can see shining examples of it in practice across Europe . Even in the largest European cities , you ’ ll find numerous smaller districts which perfectly reflect the ideals of 15-minute communities . There is a growing discourse surrounding the concept but viewing it holistically , I have always championed the idea .
Translating the 15-minute city concept into a British setting does not seem as radical as it ’ s made it out to be . Having all of your amenities , lifestyle and professional needs within a 15 ( or semiimmediate ) minute distance is how many people live their day to day already . In densely urbanised areas the need for driving has been increasingly eliminated as more people look for local options in their choice of morning coffee or grocery supplier . Others have made reference to it but the ultimate takeaway here is free choice . The myth of people being locked into these spaces , rather than free to use them at will , does a disservice to all the places that have happily operated in this way for years . Madrid is the classic example of this working in practice for many years .
The green benefits of the 15-minute city , helping to reduce emissions and improve air quality , should be the beating drum of this concept . Less people driving in cars regularly enables people to take a walk , cycle or choose other means of getting out into the community locally , benefiting both their health and the environment . Urban-lifestyles have changed drastically following the pandemic . More so than ever conversations surrounding work life balance and quality of life are being had . The concept of the 15-minute city plays directly into the new wellbeing conscious world we find ourselves in .
There are still valid conversations to be had around modernising the concept for today ’ s cities from an urban planning perspective . However , the concept was always a living , breathing and evolving idea . We ’ re slowly seeing some implementation of the idea into existing cities but concerns about the concept need only turn to legacy cities for reassurance . It ’ s a fabulous concept which we have pioneered for years at WILL + Partners , either as a 15-minute square mile or just a campus . �
WILLIAM POOLE-WILSON
FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR , WILL + PARTNERS
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