The 15-Minute City: A Solution to Saving Our Time and Our Planet

by Carlos Moreno, Jan Gehl (foreword)

Czym jest 15-minutowe miasto wyjaśnia w swojej książce prof. Carlos Moreno. Streszczając jego koncepcję, można stwierdzić, że jej sednem jest podstawowa dla ludzkości potrzeba życia we wspólnocie. Chodzi o to, abyśmy mogli spotykać się z innymi ludźmi oraz korzystać z ich usług w naszej bezpośredniej okolicy – to tu powinniśmy robić zakupy, dokonywać rozmaitych napraw, spędzać czas w lokalnych restauracjach, klubach, siłowniach, parkach, bibliotekach itp. Chodzi też o to, aby nasze dzieci mogły bezpiecznie, pieszo lub rowerem, w krótkim czasie dotrzeć co rano do swoich szkół. Ważne jest również ograniczenie w miastach ruchu samochodowego. Okazuje się bowiem, że jeśli większość potrzeb będziemy mogli zrealizować w najbliższym sąsiedztwie, to nie będziemy musieli w takim stopniu jak dotąd korzystać z samochodów. Brzmi jak utopia? Niekoniecznie. I tak wielu z nas pracuje już w dużej mierze zdalnie i nie wszyscy muszą codziennie dojeżdżać do swoich miejsc pracy. Potrzebujemy więc w naszych miastach dzielnic, w których będzie nam się wygodnie i atrakcyjnie żyło. Potrzebujemy ich nie po to, aby się w nich zamykać, ale po to, aby zaoszczędzić najcenniejszy z zasobów, jaki posiadamy – własny czas.

Carlos Moreno prowadzi nas przez kolejne miasta, aby uświadomić nam, jak ogromne zmiany zaszły w ich topografii i funkcjonowaniu na przestrzeni wieków. Rozwijające się technologie, industrializacja, modernizm ze swoją obsesją na punkcie samochodów (a w środkowoeuropejskim kontekście również lata komunizmu) przeobraziły je w organizmy chore, dysfunkcyjne, rozczłonkowane przez kolejne, nowo powstające arterie. Nie cofniemy tych zmian, ale możemy sprawić, że miasta będą dla nas bardziej przyjazne za sprawą dużej liczby ścieżek rowerowych, stref pozbawionych ruchu kołowego, parków i skwerów dających nam cień w czasie coraz częstszych fal letnich upałów, a także sprawnego i ekologicznego transportu miejskiego. Takie przeobrażenie miast jest konieczne ze względu na nadchodzące zmiany klimatyczne i związane z nimi zagrożenia.

Jakie miasta warto odwiedzić, aby przekonać się, że wdrożenie idei 15-minutowego miasta jest możliwe? Carlos Moreno zaprasza nas przede wszystkim do Paryża, który jako pierwsze miasto na świecie zaczął realizować wizję 15-minutowości. Następnie prowadzi nas przez kilka kontynentów: do Mediolanu, Portland, Cleveland, Buenos Aires, Susy, Melbourne i Pusan, aby na koniec zaprezentować nam małe miejscowości, które stają się liderami 15-minutowości. Oprócz szkockich i francuskich miasteczek wymienia też polski Pleszew, którego władze realizują strategię dostępności, zazielenienia, uspokojenia ruchu samochodowego, innowacyjnego budownictwa oraz zrównoważenia miejskich funkcji.

To, jakie będą nasze miasta w przyszłości, w dużej mierze zależy to od nas samych, od tego, czy zgodzimy się zmienić nasz sposób życia i codzienne nawyki.

Genres: Urbanism, Urban Planning, Nonfiction, Architecture, Cities, Design, Urban

281 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2024

Reviews

[Jonathan Shaheen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A five star idea, but a 2 star book. If you’re trying to convince your crazy uncle that the 15 minute city isn’t an attempt to lock him inside a communist block, this isn’t the book for you. It’s hard to follow and is mostly just surface level details and ideas constantly repeated with different cities serving as the backdrop. Even as a passionate consumer of urbanist propaganda, I was bored and confused for most of the book.

[Grant Henninger · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is half autobiography, half I-don’t-know-what. It’s ostensibly a planning book that provides no specifics about planning. Entire chapters can be summarized in a paragraph each. This book could have been so much better, and provided so many more resources for city builders looking for inspiration on creating more compact and connected communities. This book is not worth the time it takes to read it.

[Wylder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think a lot of my problems could be alleviated by living in a walkable city

[S.M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's something delusional about this kind of utopian thinking that honestly borders on cult-like. Crowding as many people as possible into a space and forcing them to live and behave a certain way is not conducive to crime reduction or happiness in general. Know why I love my car? Because I can use it to haul more than two bags of groceries while being protected from the elements, and I can use it to get the hell away from people and go wherever I want, whenever I want. In the author's vision for the world, that privilege is gone for good (for the working class). Creating neighborhoods with wide sidewalks, surveillance cameras on every corner, and apartment buildings with shops on the ground floor isn't going to suddenly make people start being happy and nice to everyone. What's more, not everyone wants a vibrant social life crowded with other people all the time (or even part of the time). And what do you do when you have no choice but to shop at the nearest grocery store (who essentially will have a monopoly in the area and be able to charge whatever they want) or seek out the nearest medical service that happens to have subpar doctors? What if you just don't want to shop at or use the services of the businesses that happen to be near you? Well, tough shit. Your freedoms and mobility are limited for the common good, pleb. You're part of the collective now. Think of the children!

Here's another great tip-off that Moreno is full of it: he gives a shout out to mayor Ted Wheeler for his supposed good work in progressive ol' Portland, never so much as hinting at what a cesspool full of trash, crime, drugs and homeless encampments this city has become under his governance. What a laugh.

Naturally I do think we can and should make cities better (including fixing the roads that cars use), what's proposed here is unrealistic (though I'm sure hardcore liberals will eat it up). But hey, guess who ISN'T going to be constrained by the fenced-in lifestyle this author is championing? If you guessed the rich elites who dream this kind of stuff up for everyone else then you win the prize! It's pretty telling that Moreno, who is supposedly extremely concerned about climate change, never once mentions the biggest polluters out there: the military industrial complex, private jets, and factory farming. Nope, because apparently the only way to save the planet is to pen in the common human livestock, drastically reduce their living standards and privacy, and curtail their freedoms.

This is literally Agenda 21 slightly revamped for the people who think Agenda 21 was just a conspiracy theory. If that sounds like your cup of tea and you can stand bad, repetitive writing that doesn't actually say much of value, then this book may just be for you. And if you'd prefer a quick and easy death, take a shot every time the words diversity, equity, and inclusion are mentioned in this book.

[Chet Makoski · Rating 5 out of 5]

On page 14 it states: “The 15-minute city represents an urban model in which the essential needs of residents are accessible on foot or by bicycle within a short perimeter in high-density areas. Similarly, the 30-minute territory extends this concept to less densely populated areas where commutes can take a little longer.”

The 1933 “Athens Charter of City Planning” defined the modern city as a machine for living. For this efficient machine to be fully operational, it was essential to separate the city’s functions into different districts—you work here, you live there, you play there, and transportation corridors connect the monofunctional areas. Different functions and different people should not only be in different areas but also be in different buildings. The older cities had been built for people first. From 1933 on, faster modes of mobility were needed to link the widespread districts. Then came the automobile invasion.

In the background of these dramatic changes to cities and quality of life, which was applied to cities across the world, counter movements started to take form. These counter movements have been around for some 60 years and have grown stronger and stronger. Our ‘15-minute cities’ can be seen in this context as one of the strongest anti-Modernist movements,

European city planners found it necessary to meet up again in Athens in 1998 to sign the second “Athens Charter of City Planning”, stating firmly that the people and functions of the city should no longer be separated.
Jan Gehl, Copenhagen, September 2023, paraphrased from his forward in “The 15-Minute City, a Solution to Saving Our Time and Our Planet.”

[Karen Naftel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept, not written in a readable or interesting way.

[Lara Su · Rating 1 out of 5]

the urban planning enthusiast in me was in tears almost every page. terrible idea of what cities can look like. exclusionary, polarizing, isolating… i really enjoyed some bits (like the temporal geographies etc) but even those were written in a sloppy manner. this did not deliver

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 - reading from a bit of a confirmation bias perspective, as my life already pretty closely adheres to a 15-minute city. I enjoyed reading more examples of healthy proximity across the globe.

[Dominic Ferrante · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 star idea, but the second half of the book was demonstrations of cities implementing or trying to implement the concept which got repetitive after 100 pages.

[Kyle Szymanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides good criticisms of modern day cities as well as describes in great detail how we got here. As well as several examples of how different cities have developed in an array of ways.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

No flow!! 15 minute cities are important for QOL, but this author is dry af, cannot craft a story, and continuously made things about himself.

[Emil Borén · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hyvä idea, joskin kirjan toteutus ja ilmaisu ontuvat. Kirjoittaja toistaa itseään, lähestyy aihepiiriä aivan liian kaukaa eikä onnistu kuvailemaan, kuinka viidentoista minuutin kaupunki käytännössä tulisi toteuttaa tai mitkä sen välittömät hyödyt ovat.

[Andrew Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half is a drag. The second half of case studies and examples becomes bearable. The problem is that first, English doesn’t seem to be the author’s first language. I’ll give him some grace since the he’s from Columbia and lives in France. The grammar, word selection, and sentence flow is hard to follow. Run on sentences abound and I remember one time he used the word “massiveness”. A third of the book is him saying “the 15 minute city and happy proximity attacks climate change, improves social cohesion, enhances ecological resilience, generates greater connectivity, and promotes a better quality of life” over and over in an impressive number of ways.

The second problem is the lack of evidence. Yes there are city examples but I want numbers. Data such as how much money and time and resources were saved through shorter commutes and showing improved economies through quantitative metrics would’ve really bolstered the argument. If each case study had numerical evidence to back it up, even if it was just polling to population before and after city projects, the argument would’ve been much more concrete. The lack of such took away from the credibility of the author.

The third problem, to compliment evidence, is the lack of maps. At its core, this is a geographic problem with a geographic solution. Maps are the pride and joy of the geography discipline. This shows in that the author doesn’t have a geography background. The few maps inserted in the book were too small to understand. It would’ve been great to see maps of these cities with their problems pointed out and then shown the solutions, or even just a map of a hypothetical 15 minute city showing the urban density, communal spaces, and services. These maps could’ve filled up whole pages and really enhanced the success stories.

There are other issues such as the author talking about themselves so much, such as when the author gave a “master class” at a university in Poland. Gave quite the eye roll to see that. He hypes himself as being a crucial part of a movement that I’m pretty confident would’ve happened without him. Regardless there’s some good content and overall did inform of a good deal of administrative initiatives occurring around the world to implement this idea, which, at its core, I agree with.

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn’t believe Melbourne featured but there you go

[বোন রোদ · Rating 1 out of 5]

-3.3/10

This book was terrible. Genuinely, positively, an awful read. I regret ever having opened it. Every moment I spent reading this book, my eyes were glazing over with boredom, or I was struggling not to throw it off my bed with frustration, or I was skimming through pages on end in search of anything even remotely relevant.

In order to decide whether or not you’ll like this book, I would like to illustrate to you a Venn diagram. In one circle, there is the set ‘intellectuals/doctors/philosophers’. In the other, the set is ‘interested in learning about urbanism but knows literally nothing about urbanism’. Their intersection, which includes Carlos Moreno, is so thin as to make one question whether there is an intersection at all. If you do not belong to both sets, this book is not for you.

The author comes from a very particular background: a physicist with decades under his belt who slowly, accidentally discovered urbanism, and decided to ‘invent’ the 15 minute city (though the 15 minute city was basically every city, before the 19th century, and also, polycentricity was already an established idea, so… what did he invent again?).

Thus, the entire book is written in the most dense, superficially academic terminology that Moreno could muster. The following is a real excerpt from his book:

It is his conceptualisation of the “geography of time” with the “path trajectory” (or “time-geography”). His seminal text, still widely cited today, was published in 1970 and introduced a comprehensive conceptual approach describing the geographical, spatial, and tempered links in human behaviour. Through the study of individual trajectories, Hägerstrand gave a systematic meaning to the relationships between the individual, their environment, and their movements.

Can anyone tell me what the fuck that’s supposed to mean? And then, using that exact same style, he will write about ‘chrono-urbanism’ or something to that effect, and three paragraphs on, once he finally changes subject, you realise that his message boils down to “it is good when your daily needs can be met by services nearby.”

By writing like this, Moreno simultaneously makes me feel stupid for not understanding his terminology, and makes me feel offended because he assumes that I don’t already know 90% of what he is already saying. He will explain the most common-sense urbanism like “relying on cars is bad for the environment” using three unrelated graphs, one graph that is kind of related, four paragraphs of background on the Paris climate agreement, nine more paragraphs on the history of climate change itself, and five pages of his actual point. Which, if you forgot, was “relying on cars is bad for the environment”. And then, another few pages on how ‘many’ cities are really taking on this complicated but important issue, something something C40 cities… without going into any sort of interesting detail.

So, to recap:
-the terminology is befuddling
-the content is stuff you probably already know
-there is little to no actual, juicy detail

I think Moreno wrote this book solely for other physicists just starting to dip their toes into urbanism who cannot comprehend plain English after decades of reading only academic papers, and now require this book in order to process even the most basic kind of urbanism (common sense).

For anyone else? Just watch a thirty minute youtube video on the fifteen minute city. It will be far more educational, free, and significantly more entertaining.

I hope this book wasn’t anyone’s first foray into urbanism. Trust me, guys, urbanism is a real thing, not some bullshit academic circlejerk that doesn’t apply to the real world.

Just go read Happy City instead. Thank me later.

[Brandon Pytel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s quite impressive what Moreno’s pulled off: bringing a concept, the 15-minute city, from the realm of architectural and intellectual academia to mainstream, thanks partially to the commitment of Anne Hidalgo in Paris, but also in his message which resonates with cities and communities around the world.

That premise is simple enough: “bring living, working, education, leisure, services and nature closer together, thereby reducing dependence on motorized transportation” and creating a more sustainable, healthier, compact living environment.

The aim is to reduce travel times, improve quality of life, strengthen social cohesion, and encourage community, all while encouraging a more efficient use of space.

It goes against the old mantra of creating long-distance lifestyles that leads to car-centric infrastructure with long commutes and destructive roadways that prioritize the pedestrian, lack respect of a city’s history and culture, and lose connection with nature and biodiversity, sacrificing connectivity and community:

“These freeways and expressways disfigured the urban landscape and exacerbated the fragmentation and segregation of neighborhoods through which they passed, creating physical barriers between communities and increasing air and noise pollution.”

The most interesting bits are the history of this modern infrastructure, rooted in zoning that separates living and working and playing, as well as the case studies, which puts the 15-minute in action, from Paris to Cleveland to Melbourne.

And then, though it gets a bit abstract, there is value in discussing useful and social time and how commutes take away so much of it, with modernism’s emphasis on “speed, anonymity and constant stimulation."

By reducing these commutes, “we free up precious time what we can devote to our hobbies… or simply enjoying moments of relaxation and tranquility," while also promoting more frequent and meaningful human relations.

The biggest flaw with this book is that it reads like it’s written by a researcher. Passive voice dominates the prose, and it’s repetitive to the point of dullness — so repetitive that I feel like this book may very well serve better as a report — complemented by case studies — than a book.

Which is of course summarized best (and this is repeated again and again) here: “With proximity at its heart, [the 15-minute city] mobilizes a vast amount of creative energy to achieve a balance previously thought impossible: reconciling the fight against climate change with economic development, while promoting the social inclusion of the inhabitants of our towns and cities.”

[Stanisław Stępień · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ja sie interesuję urbanistyką. I ja naprawdę zgadzam się z przesłaniem tej książki. Chcę lokalnych wspólnot, dobrego planowania miast, działającego transportu zbiorowego i ograniczenia potrzeby jazdy wszędzie autem przez 30 minut.

Ale ta książka jest beznadziejnie napisana - czyta się to jak rozprawkę kogoś kto nigdy nic nie pisał dłuższego, a kto musi zapełnić te prawie 300 stron tekstu. Dwie gwiazdki za to, że autor, który jest pewnie wybitnym specem i którego wkład pewnie przydał by się przy planowaniu polskich miast, nie potrafi pisać długich tekstów, ani wynająć kogoś do tej pracy.

Ciężko mi w sumie streścić, co się znajduje w tej książce - to trochę ciekawej historii urbanistyki na początku (za to ta druga gwiazdka) i potem ponad 200 stron czegoś co przypomina wstęp napisany beznamiętnym korpo-językiem plus sekcję "o autorze", gdzie chwali się dokonaniami. Nie ma tu za bardzo żadnych przykładów (są chyba tylko pokazane 2 albo 3 place we Włoszech bez ich omówienia).

Wygląda to jak materiał który wypada omówić na pierwszym slajdzie w prezentacji na radzie plenarnej władz miasta, nim przejdzie się do konkretów, tyle, że rozciągnięty do jakichś rekordowych długości i bez tych późniejszych konkretów.

No jestem zawiedziony, bo serio chciałbym wiedzieć więcej o tej tematyce, a najlepsze, co z czytania tej książki wyniknie to może uda mi się wyłuskać nazwisko kogoś, kogo prace są lepsze.

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moreno's core idea seems to be: it would be nice if more people could walk to more stuff. I agree; however, this idea has already been addressed in other books by better writers such as Jane Jacobs and Jeff Speck. Other than the slogan "15-minute city" I am really not sure what this book adds to the literature.

Moreover, I did not get the sense that Moreno has any idea how to get from the ideal of a 15-minute city (or more accurately, 15-minute neighborhood) to the reality that he dreams of. His real-life examples seem to be not particularly revolutionary. For example, his chapter on Portland suggests that the city's reforms are focused on making parks nicer and building a community garden here and there- certainly policies that I do not object to, but not exactly changes that will turn a sprawling suburb into a 15-minute neighborhood. The chapter on Cleveland is even worse: Moreno describes city leaders' endorsements of the 15-minute city idea, but doesn't really describe any specific reforms beyond a mention that the city might spend a few million dollars on a laundry list of things.

[Cole Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid contribution in the planning field. Includes overviews of the fifteen minute city concept and its relation to past and modern urban planning issues (climate, resource allocation, job access, geography of time, community building, benefits of proximity, etc). Also includes a diverse range of case studies across different regions (Paris, Milan, Portland, Cleveland, Sousse, Buenos Aires, Melbourne, Busan, Pleszew, St Hilaire de Brethmas).

Overall a great way to introduce the fifteen minute concept in a way that’s approachable but engaging. While the concept itself is pretty straightforward, the case studies really bring it down to earth and show how implementation can work to improve lives and the planet. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in improving towns, cities, and regions.

[Brett Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 15-Minute Cities concept is important and it is encouraging to see that it’s catching momentum worldwide. Importantly, while it covers the issues that have been created by a car-centric society, its focus isn’t to take away your car. Rather, the concept advocates for focus on human scale environment, access to transit, bike lanes, and essential needs. Nowhere does it claim that those who embrace this concept must sacrifice the freedom of choice, in fact, I believe it advocates for the opposite. Urban environments with convenient access to home, work, daily needs, and a third space, seek to improve quality of life for those living there and add vibrancy for visitors. I believe anyone who ties this to some sort of conspiracy theory has never lived in a city. Overall, it was a great book but got a bit repetitive in its attempt to prove its viability.

[Gardner Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with the thesis of this book and I believe that it provides good evidence as for why this should work. The main failing of this book is that the 15 minute city is so new that whilst there are case studies of the beginnings of implementations there were few examples provided for it working. This is not to say that more long term examples don’t exist they just predict that idea of a 15 minute city therefore Moreno excludes them from this. For example there are good lessons that could be learned from the Netherlands and their implementation of similar ideas just without the branding of a 15 minute city. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about the principles planning a city around proximity.

[Peter Fussy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really wish I could give more stars to this one. Although the concepts are valid and effective, I believe the book lacks complexity for technical readers and some storytelling for non-technical readers. A good editor could make it work just by removing repetitions of ideas and making it more personal.

I struggled to finish it, and I did it only because the topic interests me. In the end, I learned that the 15-minute city is a loose guideline that comes to life when applied to different contexts and together with the communities. It's a powerful concept, but there are other books on how we need to change cities that are more interesting to read.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A passionate guide to the concept that is sweeping the world, with a decent review of the context in which it is grounded and an array of city-building efforts it has inspired. What's missing is the hard stuff in between: how to recognize the problems and potential of your city, the obstacles to successful formulation and implementation of 15-minute city policy, and assessment of efforts where it's been tried. There are even better books that do similar things, but I can't deny the virality of the phrase "15-minute city."

[Carlo Battisti · Rating 4 out of 5]

"La maggior parte dei sofisticati rimedi che gli esperti hanno proposto per gli ingorghi di New York partono dall'ingenua convinzione che il problema si possa risolvere aumentando la capacità delle strade esistenti, moltiplicando il numero dei mezzi per entrare e uscire dalla città, o fornire più parcheggi per automobili che, tanto per cominciare, non avrebbero dovuto entrare in città. E' come il rimedio del sarto contro l'obesità: allargare le cuciture dei pantaloni e allentare la cintura non frena gli appetiti golosi che fanno ingrassare". - Lewis Mumford, 1955

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a classic "this could have been an email" book - Carlos fails to expand upon his idea, and this ends up being more of a marketing pitch to city councils than an implementable guide. His has some real gems of ideas buried in here (the idea of tophophilia, centering philosophical ideas around living, tying physical geography to time) but you really have to dig to get there. Save yourself and give it a skim - I recommend Happy Cities over this as it has generally the same points without all the faff

[Daniel Ardila · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was pretty mid to be honest and of course it’s the first book I’ve bought new in years. Nothing very interesting and if you have read about urbanism or the concept of a 15 minute city before this book won’t really offer anything new.

It sort of repeats the same thing over and over without going any specifics but just saying the urbanism trigger words A LOT. I was hoping specific techniques, projects, or analysis would be dissected but nothing beyond a superficial explanation of why human-centered design is good. Quite a no brainer and not worth 250 pages.

[Sam Burns · Rating 1 out of 5]

At its most charitable, a series of tautologies and flowery gobbledygook that spends the first two chapters citing generally accepted climate stats, the next 100 pages repeating ideas about urbanism that are never proven, and the last 150 pages giving case studies that don't prove anything beyond that climate change necessitates less car dependency and a 15-minute city would provide that. People who truly care about urban planning should read something with a real internal logic. I could give 2 or 3 stars if I ignore the middle section of the book, but I can't and so I didn't.

[Dan Castrigano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obviously I love the concept and content. The text, however, was very academic and dry. I found it very repetitive. Basically, just like long sentences with a series of things using commas (this will bring sustainability, proximity, and happiness to the city) over and over again. There were a series of case studies around the world that were OK. So much of the content was just stated over and over again though.

[DW Rowlands · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's hard to characterize what this book is but I can say what it wasn't: particularly coherent or clearly organized. It started with a somewhat repetitive argument for 15-minute cities based on the history of pre-industrial cities, and then turned into a discussion of a UN conference followed by a large number of short and insufficiently detailed descriptions of actions taken by various world cities without much organization...

[Simon Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly repetitive - if you know the 15-minute city concept, you don't really need to read this. But could be useful for those who need to be introduced to the idea and walked through many real-world examples. Appreciated the wide global coverage, but after the third or fourth city example, the use of the same phrases over and over again made this more of a slog than it needed to be.