Less car, more city life
News
Published online: 02.07.2024
Research shows that 15-minute cities can reduce the need for cars and create greener and more human-friendly cities. Experience from Odense and Ballerup indicates that citizens prioritize quality of life and green cities over efficient transport.
Text: Susanne Togeby, AAU Communication and Public Affairs. Translation: LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication and Public Affairs. Photo: Thuận Minh, Unsplash
Most of us want to live in a green city with recreational areas, clean air and rich biodiversity. At the same time, the thought of an everyday life without a car is hard to imagine. Major cities such as Paris and Milan have been successful in restructuring so that residents can reach the necessary functions of daily life such as schools, supermarkets and leisure activities on foot or by bike in 15 minutes.
This is according to Malene Freudendal-Pedersen, who is a professor of urban planning at Aalborg University. Together with colleagues in Odense and Ballerup, she has investigated how we can plan 15-minute cities in Denmark. She says:
"Our interviews show that people want common space and space to hang out with others. This applies to families with children, the elderly and young people. The wishes are about quality of life and sensory experiences such as cycling through green areas, and not so much about efficiency and speed."
Malene Freudendal-Pedersen believes that the 15-minute city can help dispel several myths about the car. For example, there is the notion that 'the car is necessary when you have children', that 'the car creates freedom' or that 'shop life dies if you can't get there by car'. She says:
"The car is a really good technology. But there is also a freedom in not having a car. The problem is that cars pollute, make noise and take up a lot of space, and we get sick because we don't move. When we ask cyclists, they say that it makes a huge difference for the rest of the day that they have been able to move to and from work. We also know that children who have cycled or gone to school learn better and have a better physique for the rest of their lives. And in fact, experience shows that cyclists and pedestrians are better shoppers than drivers."
According to Malene Freudendal-Pedersen, cars occupy a very large part of the common urban space. In the City of Copenhagen, for example, 57% of the common space is used on roads and parking lots. If it becomes easier and more attractive to cycle or walk, we automatically get more activity into our everyday lives, and space is freed up in the city for social activities and recreational areas.
To show how far you can actually get in 15 minutes, the researchers have created some special maps of Odense and Ballerup. It was an eye-opener for the two cities, because our idea of how long things take on foot, by bike or by public transport is often not related to how far it actually is.
Malene Freudendal-Pedersen believes that 15-minute cities help us rethink routines: How do I get to work and how do my children get to school or to football? She points out that of course you should still be able to commute to work if it is the best. But this is not the same as everything having to be built on the car's terms.
"We need to think differently if we are to take the climate crisis seriously," she concludes.
15 minutes city
In 15-minute cities, all essential daily functions such as schools, supermarkets, and recreational activities can be reached within a 15-minute radius by foot or bicycle from one’s residence. This can be achieved by changing the urban structure and creating smaller neighborhoods and city centers while simultaneously ensuring good opportunities for green transport by prioritizing conditions for cyclists and pedestrians.
In larger cities, the radius extends to 30 minutes with public transport. The 30-minute territory creates connections and bridges between the different 15-minute neighborhoods in larger cities, while in smaller cities, it ensures access to the nearest larger city.
The researchers have published three reports on the 15-minute city (in Danish):
The project is supported by Realdania.