Why I Want To Live In A 15-Minute City
Imagine a city where you weren’t more than 15 minutes away from work, or 15 minutes away from anything you need. For some, it’s hard to believe as many people are used to having everything be further away, or you feel everything should be further away as you don’t want it “in your backyard“, or you want to have space. There are many positives to being in a 15-minute city that I think many people could benefit from.
Utilities are cheaper
Think about how much your electricity, internet, or phone cost per month, probably more than you think it should. What if tons of people lived closer together and got service? It would bring the price for everyone down. You may ask why?
Electricity and internet have costs for bringing the cables out more distance, and by keeping them within 15 minutes it will save the company money, it will also provide those companies with a number of people, which means they can bring better prices to you. It’s very similar with phone, if the company only has to provide service within a certain area that has tons of customers, then they can lower the price.
Faster response from others
Need help from your landlord, or from your friend on the other side of town? If they live within the 15 minutes, then they will be there within 15 minutes since there is less distance.
Will that always happen? No, but there is less of an excuse.
More diversity of businesses
Think about your local downtown, or your closest grocery store. You may likely have a number of big name businesses there and not many businesses owned by those who live nearby. The company which owns the land or building has decided that the rent is more because it’s closer to people. If all the buildings are close to people, then it brings the rent down for everyone and allows locally owned businesses to be right beside the big companies.
There is the possibility of rent’s being much higher than usual because the landlords have got together and decided on a high minimum. This is also possible in any regular town or city.
Car not needed daily
If you live in a downtown space and have everything nearby, there is no need to have a car unless you consistently need to travel outside the city.
This will mean less parking spaces are needed (there are parking space minimums in North America), and you save money not needing to use it daily (such as gas, insurance).
It doesn’t mean you won’t ever need a car, but that car will be used less often, and perhaps you only need one car instead of multiple cars for your family.
What about space?
There are arguments that storefronts and people need space, which is why we can’t have a 15-minute city. Your current city already has a variety of spaces with apartments and different size buildings, and many people have the choice to live there based on the space available. The city and the building company will have to decide how much space to give to each.
One thing we should all keep in mind, is that maybe we have too much stuff. If I stacked vertically everything I haven’t touched in a month, then it would be taller than I. Yes, something we keep for certain reasons, like tax or sentimental. However, not everything needs to be kept.
What about accessibility?
Accessibility requires more space to ensure someone can safely get in or out, would that work in a 15-minute city? It’s up to the city and building developers to ensure everything meets accessibility, and if that means the 15-minute city become a few more minutes, then I think it’s worth it.
Quicker to get a task done
With many people getting busy, being in a 15-minute city would allow you to get something done faster, so you can do something else. I know some people enjoy the time driving somewhere, and they would have to make changes to have that quiet time.
What about privacy?
With everyone so close together, it can be easier to know what is going on with someone else based on sight or sound. Some may say “mind your own business” and while I agree with it, I think the building developers have a responsibility to do more. It could be more sound proofing, having blackout curtains, or adding space between places.
Some may say they don’t care about privacy, or they don’t mind others checking in on them, or that it won’t be as extreme as some say. Everyone has their own definition for how private they want to be, and we should all respect that.
Where is the green space, parks, or other public space?
With so much being a smaller space, you may wonder where green space, park, or other public spaces will go? There could be green space at the top of buildings, it would depend on the building owner if the public would get access to that. A public park could also be built within the 15 minutes, as there may be a local by-law that requires so much public space. And other public space could be built into buildings, a library could be a building that has apartments on top.
One public space may be shared with another city nearby, as is the case with cities that have a smaller population, such as Latchford, Ontario, which has the nearest hospital a 15-minute drive away.
More local employment opportunities
If you work in an office or somewhere that requires you to be in-person, then companies usually have a bias towards hiring only those who are local. With a 15-minute city, there are many more places to work, and you would be local for all of them.
Would they be the best jobs? That I can’t say, however for many, as long as they have a living wage then they will work anywhere.
Are cities thinking this way?
With the positives, and negatives, towards a 15-minute city, some may think it would never happen as cities have strict by-laws and bribery. However, there are a number of places in the world that has discussed implementing this. Such as Lagos, Nigeria when COVID-19 happened, Singapore, Israel, Shanghai, Cagliari, Portland, and Melbourne, all have developed plans to have something near to a 15-minute city.
There are some questions that don’t have an answer at this time, such as cost, the true intent of the mayor or building developers, if the landlords and building developers will actually do what they say, diversity of those who live in the city, and much more. I hope this post can get you thinking about a 15-minute city and the positives that can come from it.
Other articles to consider
The ‘15-Minute City’ Isn’t Made for Disabled Bodies
How to add internet to a newly built home
Introducing the 15-Minute City Project – 15-Minute City
Conspiracy Theorists Are Coming for the 15-Minute City
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