Figure 4 - Prescriptive Elements of Moreno's 15-minute city framework (Source: Moreno et. al., 2021)
a. Building Density: Moreno observed the challenges that city managers had to face during the height of COVID-19 pandemic spread of cases and the subsequent health measures adopted to mitigate those measures.(Moreno et al., 2021, p. 101) This corner stones of the Fifteen-minute city offer a ‘realistic alternative’ for urban areas, a they prepare to embrace the ‘new normal’. As per Moreno, Density is a crucial dimension on which cities should be built and have a direct link to travel and diversity. The proponent opines that in conventional planning density is viewed in terms of ‘ultra-high-density buildings’ but in his concept, density is viewed in terms of people per sq.km. (Moreno, et al. p.102) Further explanation clears that the author is hinting at providing optimal density where the population in each area can sustain comfortably in terms of urban service delivery and resource consumption. He further asserts that in the previous planning models which emphasised on creating ultra-high-rise buildings and offices has given rise to increased over-consumption of resources including fossil fuel energy. It’s highlighted that with optimal density, it is possible to provide all the essentials
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