people
Re-enchanting the city Barcelona is embracing the concept of the Superblock
As citizens look for a better quality of life — a search that can include moving to a more rural or suburban location — interest has surged among city mayors and urban planners in the 15-minute urban neighbourhood. Doug Morrison and Gina Power find out more
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N THE post-COVID world, as cities look to build resilience, authorities are turning to the 15-minute neighbourhood as a way to make their cities more attractive and to meet their citizens’ aspirations for hybrid working, less commuting and a healthier lifestyle. Such neighbourhoods have traditionally been concentrated in wealthier, central city districts. Then, in 2016, Carlos Moreno, the mayor of Paris’ special envoy for smart cities, launched the idea of the ‘15-minute city’, so MIPIM ONE BOOK
named because all the key amenities and services can all be reached by foot or bicycle within 15 minutes. In themselves such objectives are hardly new, but the overall combination has gained currency since February 2020 when the Paris Mayor, Anne Hidalgo, made the 15-minute city a key pledge in her re-election campaign. Hidalgo was already known for promoting green policies during her first term in office. But as the re-election campaign rolled on through the first half of 2020, so the 21
SEPTEMBER 2021
