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Over the past decades, cities have faced increasing environmental, social, and economic challenges, which are complex to resolve not only due to its complexity but also because of the intricate chain of causes and consequences among phenomena (Hardoy and Ruete, 2013). Additionally, the adaptation of densely populated urban areas with consolidated urban fabric poses significant constraints for any strategy involving structural changes (Marchigiani & Bonfantini, 2022). Nevertheless, some cities have sought to adapt to the challenges of climate change while promoting the quality of life of the population from an inclusive perspective, particularly for the most vulnerable communities, through a combination of intervention strategies in the city, in domains as urban mobility, green spaces, access to goods and services, etc.; and especially revaluing the local/neighborhood level.
Triggered by the AccessCity4All Project - Adapting the 15-Minute City concept to support active mobility in neighborhoods with different levels of accessibility, this paper aims to understand how a consolidated and dense city, like Lisbon (Portugal), developed an urban policy framework towards a more resilient, sustainable and inclusive city. This qualitative analysis examines recent urban planning strategies in Lisbon that promote a new city model, identifying their objectives, specific actions, goals, geographical areas of intervention, and types of interventions. According to the execution level, key findings demonstrating substantial city improvements will be identified whenever possible.
Lisbon is a paradigmatic case in the European context as a city that, in recent years, has transformed to combat growing challenges. Awarded as the European Green Capital in 2020 for its strong intervention in the area of environment and sustainability (including water management and energy efficiency, sustainable urban mobility and green areas). Beyond the environmental component, the local scale is being revalued by applying the concept of the 15-minute city, proposed by Moreno in 2016, that aims to create urban spaces where daily needs are accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride (Moreno, 2020; Moreno et al., 2021), continuing programs that were previously in development, such as "One Square in Each Neighbourhood", implemented to reinforce micro-centralities and upgrade public spaces for community interaction. After the emergence of Moreno's concept, one program - "There’s Life in My Neighbourhood", was explicitly founded on the 15-Minute City approach, aimed to enhance neighborhood identity, quality of life, active mobility, safety, comfort in public spaces, and access to local services (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, 2022). Consequently, beyond the commonality in the direction of various strategies towards a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive city, and especially to accomplish the 15-minute city model, it is important to emphasize the concern for a distributive intervention throughout the city, considering the specificities and needs of each parish and community, especially those who are more socially and economically vulnerable. The combination of these strategies means that the city is committed to effective adaptation to climate change, and at the same time, seeking to increase the quality of life and well-being of the population.
In conclusion, despite the challenges that a consolidated city may face when restructuring towards a more resilient and sustainable situation, political and technical will are crucial for the implementation of the necessary strategies. In Lisbon, this intention was clearly converted into action. Furthermore, it is evident that this urban paradigm shift required a combined intervention of various domains (e.g., urban planning, transport, environment, etc.) to maximize overall outcomes, even if the outcomes of this decision will need time to manifest and be accounted for.
References
Câmara Municipal de Lisboa (2022) '“Há Vida no meu Bairro” aproxima Lisboa da “cidade dos 15 minutos”'. [Online] Available at: https://informacao.lisboa.pt/noticias/detalhe/ha-vida-no-meu-bairro-aproxima-lisboa-da-cidade-dos-15-minutos (Accessed: 30 January 2025).
Hardoy, J. and Ruete, R. (2013) 'Incorporating climate change adaptation into planning for a liveable city in Rosario, Argentina', Environment and Urbanization, 25(2), pp. 339-360. doi: 10.1177/0956247813493232.
Marchigiani, E. and Bonfantini, B. (2022) 'Urban Transition and the Return of Neighbourhood Planning. Questioning the Proximity Syndrome and the 15-Minute City', Sustainability, 14(9), p. 5468.
Moreno, C., Allam, Z., Chabaud, D., Gall, C. and Pratlong, F. (2021) 'Introducing the “15-Minute City”: Sustainability, Resilience and Place Identity in Future Post-Pandemic Cities', Smart Cities, 4(1), pp. 93-111.
Moreno, C. (2020) 'The 15-minute city: A new perspective in urban planning', Smart Cities, 3(4), pp. 1171-1179.
| Keywords | Climate Change Adaptation; 15-Minute City Concept; Sustainable Cities; Lisbon |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
