Truman Neighbourhoods: Exploring the Positives and Challenges of the 15-Minute City Model
As a result of the pandemic, communities have come together to call for their suburban lands and local town centres to be more attractive and accessible. When put simply, the 15-minute city, sometimes referred to as the 20-minute neighbourhood concept, incorporates solutions for the social and environmental inequalities we face today by connecting citizens to the services that meet every day needs and necessities.
But, potential problems with the 15-minute city have already emerged. Critics have referred to them as Truman Neighbourhoods – safe, peaceful, repetitive, bland, but by concentrating on one kind of person (socially and economically), artificial. The name is a legacy of former US President Harry S. Truman but for some readers, the above description will immediately bring to mind the Jim Carrey-starring satire – The Truman Show (“and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight”).
However, opinions can be expressed against these attributes. In reality, it could be much more flexible than that. The goal is to engender a vibrant circle amongst towns to combat climate issues and various physical and mental health issues. The benefits are seemingly obvious, and endless. But like any major change of policy, scepticisms (and conspiracy theories) tend to arise.
• What is a 15 Minute City?
The 15-minute city is an agenda that has rapidly ascended in the minds of governments and legislators. Exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic which generated an enormous impact, testing the social and economic resilience of communities, it quickly emerged as an on-going planning reform in Scotland. This has been acknowledged as a proactive attempt to reinvent urban environments and to be positioned at the forefront of sustainability, especially in times of hardship and uncertainty. This is more than just a coined European term, as the model is gradually approaching urbanised areas across New Zealand and Canada. As a concept, the 15-minute city model solves many contemporary issues, from sustainability to local economies. But how closely will reality mirror the model?
• Let’s talk about the positives.
It should be noted that ideas that are centred around the welfare of people and the future are a good thing. Current issues have forced people to put their heads together, inspiring creativity amongst city planners across the world. At the core of this model there is a fierce, unending appetite to reverse the environmental damage humans have caused. Calling for populations to return to traditional ways, re-connecting with the communities that were once shaped.
Of course, every revolutionary change needs a green headline, or more likely a few. Hence, urban travel has become an essential pillar of the agenda. The scheme pledges to essentially phase out the reliance of combustion-engined cars by enticing people to travel on foot or bike. With the promise of a complete green street transformation, cities can be fully renewed with cycle lanes, which could directly result in reduced levels of congestion and obesity amongst the local population. This sounds promising, and accessibility could very well be achieved, providing you are fully fit and capable of living an active life.
On top of access, this healthy and sustainable idea puts a lot of value on speed, efficiency, and, well, being young. Achieving climate neutrality would be a realistic target for many nations, dramatically decreasing the negative impacts of long-term exposure to air pollution along the way. It would also address the ongoing research that states that people with long commutes have a higher tendency to develop mental health issues.
• What’s the catch?
As more cities begin their experiments with the 15 or 20-minute model over the next decade, numerous challenges will have to be addressed and overcome. What this approach will really look like on the ground (not to mention skyline, as developers could look to the heavens to maximise space) will hugely determine the social and economic consequences of nations across the globe. So, to the dystopian writers out there reading this, now is the time to grip your pens and keyboards with inspiration – or start building your underground bunker.
First, a lively and responsive environment based on unlimited mobility is a privilege that is often unattainable for the elderly and disabled. It is a sacrifice that a certain segment of society might unfortunately have to make. And speaking of sacrifices, giving up your personal vehicle to help tackle carbon emissions is a huge one for the majority of people. A revolution that would eliminate transport as the number one contributor to climate change. It does seem that plans for 15-minute cities are reinforcing the circulating ideas of private car abolishment. But, doesn’t that put a lot of pressure on governments to mitigate the prevalence of strike action in the future? We’ve witnessed first-hand recently that strikes across the transport industry are fueled by unsatisfied workers who feel let down by budget cuts or inadequate wages. Once the model is implemented, what measures will ensure this won’t recommence? Additionally, car ownership rates in the UK have in fact spiked as a result of rail strikes. Public transport has lost the trust of the people, and in this context, it would disrupt the lives of many living in these districts. People who gave up their cars in pursuit of a highly accessible, smooth sailing life.
Furthermore, the success of these schemes will likely be tied to residents’ imagination – either they will see boundless opportunities on their doorstep and directly feed into thriving communities, or they will grow tired of their confined surroundings and leave their sandbox to explore others – new shops, pubs and job opportunities. With the models not necessarily restricting movement between neighbourhoods, the human desires for variety, exploration and new experience could defeat the purpose of the model.
• Will we expect to undergo travel restrictions?
Although there is no clear evidence that suggests that for the 15 minute city concept to work, private car use will be banned, Oxfordshire County Council are certainly discovering preventative alternatives. For example, petitions have already been put in place for the removal of Low Traffic Neighbourhood road closures and controlled parking measures. These are major deterrents for regular access. Barriers like these are already hindering the lives of many ordinary people who might not have the amenities they need within their respective zones. It is being seen not as eco-friendly, but a personal attack on the motorist, and Oxford city council is not the only one. Scotland, in a net zero push, has announced that unsustainable travel will be discouraged, and transport systems enhanced to prioritise the welfare of the planet.
• Why aren’t we talking about the weather?
A less notable, but extremely important issue, is coping with the current climates that we live in today. These idealistic plans, inspired by the concept of the '15 minute community' or '15 minute zones', can be backed by persuasive thinkers and legislators, but how can Scotland tackle its current adverse weather conditions? It could be argued that the discouragement of walking around the city centre, or to and from your ‘local’ shop through a merciless blizzard outweighs any obstacles around owning and driving a car. The same can be said for summers in Miami, where the heatwaves are so severe that enduring 15 minutes on foot would seem like an eternity, and carry health risks of their own. If this reality fails to be considered and exceptions to use private transport are not sufficiently made, segments of societies will be disproportionately affected. This presents a Catch-22 situation, where there is a simultaneous need to take drastic measures to combat the extreme weather caused by global warming, while also coping with severe conditions as safely as possible.
• Progression or threat to our freedom?
Like most lofty goals, to be successful on a nationwide scale, the equality of humans must come first. Drastic interventions and investments will be required to effectively safeguard these concerns.
Robbie Calvert, Royal Town Planning Institute.
In other words, a healthy balance is required, akin to the green city pros who advocate for sustainable urban living. Cars cannot be demonised and erased completely from the equation. Alternatives should be more readily available and economically viable for those who could live without, making it ecologically viable for those who cannot. There does not seem to be a universally accepted measurement that would define a climate emergency, but it is indisputable to state that the Earth is in a perilously precarious state. Radical measures should arguably be made, but to the detriment of who? Undertones of coercion, subtle spells of tyranny, will inexorably, and paradoxically, produce a range of mental health consequences, that could have dire consequences of their own.
• Conclusion
There are implications – some hypothetical and some immediately obvious – that will determine whether these flagships schemes are a success or a threat to our personal freedoms. There is understandable excitement and trepidation at what the concept could evolve or degenerate into. Some concerns are purely practical. Others, ethical. The pros and cons of tyranny might serve as a relevant analogy here. On one hand, a centralised authority could potentially lead to greater efficiency and swift decision-making. On the other hand, it could infringe upon individual freedoms. Is this the solution we’ve long-awaited to turn back time on the Doomsday Clock, or is it Orwellian control masquerading as a greener future? Only time, coupled with careful evaluation and analysis, will tell.
