With my non-driver hat on, there are aspects of having as many of life's amenities as possible within a fifteen minute walk that appeal to me. However, the concept of fifteen minute cities/neighbourhoods has become so closely entwined with the dystopian, top down, authoritarian agenda of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it's not something I want to be associated with in any way. What follows is a proposition of how to reclaim the idea of genuinely liveable neighbourhoods.
Most reasonable people would accept that living in a community where a decent number of life's amenities are within a fifteen minute walk is an attractive idea.
For those of us of a 'certain age', before the rise of out of town shopping, a fair number of us lived in communities where many of life's amenities were within walking distance.
The concept of a 'fifteen minute neighbourhood' does on the surface, describe what a lot of us experienced forty or more years ago.
However, what we enjoyed all those decades ago is not what's coming down the line with some of the plans to zone up urban areas to supposedly create 'fifteen minute neighbourhoods'.
Slapping lines on a map does not correct the damage caused by the rise of out of town shopping or decades of planning policy that assumed near universal car ownership.
Slapping lines on a map does not create neighbourhoods where a lot of life's amenities are within a fifteen minute walk.
Zoning up urban areas without doing anything meaningful to actually create genuine fifteen minute neighbourhoods is a con.
This is particularly the case when a lot of technology is being deployed to monitor traffic movements while not providing any attractive alternatives to using the car.
Alternatives such as actually having a lot of life's amenities within a fifteen minute walk alongside robust public transport that's an attractive enough proposition to persuade people to leave their cars at home.
Many people can see this which is why there's a growing wave of opposition to the imposition of so called 'fifteen minute neighbourhoods'.
This is because people can see that little effort is being put into creating genuine fifteen minute neighbourhoods while a LOT is being put into technology that will be deployed to control how people move around urban areas.
At this point, I would like to propose the concept of 'handy, connected neighbourhoods' that are shaped by those who live in them and where a lot of what you need is fairly close to hand.
Neighbourhoods where as much power to shape their future has been devolved right down to the grassroots.
However, they have to be neighbourhoods that are connected to each other and to the towns, cities and wider regions they're a part of by a decent range of public transport options plus where appropriate, cycle paths and footpaths.
With these travel options, those people who for a variety of reasons still have no option but to drive will hopefully find the roads are a lot less congested:)
A caveat - given the current, unequal power relations we endure, this concept will have to be fought for...
