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The 20-minute neighbourhood

  • by JW

How it can “promote activity, a strong sense of place, boost local economies and provide (almost) everything you need for life within walking distance.”

Webinar: Tuesday 18th May.

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The idea of the ’15-minute neighbourhood’ is being pushed as policy in Paris:

The 15-minute neighbourhood: valuing our places on foot – Vision Group for Sidmouth

And things are really stepping up:

Mayor Anne Hidalgo steps up plans to ban most cars from Paris city centre

With other places taking a keen interest:

Paris’s 15-Minute City Could Be Coming to an Urban Area Near You – Bloomberg

And with this piece from the WHO today:

What human invention has caused more deaths than World War I or the Spanish flu, both among the worst killers of all time? It’s the modern road transport system. Since the automobile came into being at the end of the 19th Century, more than 50 million people have died on the world’s roads…

As we embark on building back better from the COVID-19 pandemic, the time has come to return urban streets to people…

Streets are for people; it’s time we give them back

Not everyone has been keen on some of the measures introduced during the last twelve months:

The questions around Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods – Vision Group for Sidmouth

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods: What are they and why are they so controversial? – LBC

MP blasts Kings Heath resident as ‘woke’ for supporting ‘bonkers’ Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme – Birmingham Live

Even though the ideas and practices have been around for a long time:

Think low-traffic neighbourhoods are a recent thing? Think again! | road.cc

Nevertheless, there’s a lot of enthusiasm for the ’15/20-minute neighbourhood’.

This is from Melbourne (see diagram):

People love the idea of 20-minute neighbourhoods. So why isn’t it top of the agenda?

And this is from Scotland:

20 Minute Neighbourhoods | Optimised Environments

With a handy guide just out from the TCPA:

The 20-minute neighbourhood | Town and Country Planning Association

Finally, in support of the UK department of transport’s Green Transport Recovery and Restart programme, a series of webinars has been put together:

Green transport restart and recovery: how we can help

Including an event tomorrow:

The idea of the ’20-minute neighbourhood’ is enjoying a resurgence. Although far from new: back in the early 1960s, US urbanist Jane Jacobs demonstrated how compact urban blocks promote activity, a strong sense of place, boost local economies and provide (almost) everything you need for life within walking distance.

And now, post COVID, the idea is re-gaining popularity…

20-minute neighbourhoods – Vision Group for Sidmouth

Creating neighbourhoods: celebrating Jane Jacobs – Vision Group for Sidmouth