ANNUAL CONGRESS 2025

The operationalization and implementation potential of x-minute city policies across the globe: A review of the literature

Not scheduled

20m

Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul

Oral Track 03 | MOBILITY

Speakers

Mr Thiago Carvalho (McGill University)Prof. Ahmed El-Geneidy (McGill University)

Description

X-minute city (XMC) policies represent a proximity-based planning approach designed to promote local living and active travel. These policies have gained significant attention in both research and practice, particularly since the mayor of Paris incorporated Carlos Moreno’s 15-minute city framework into her 2020 re-election campaign. In this paper, we review thirty-seven studies that explore the potential of XMCs across the globe. Our analysis focuses on how the XMC concept has been operationalized in research, trends in implementation potential, and equity concerns related to these policies. Authors in our selection recognize the XMC framework as a “culmination” or a “heritage” of long-standing planning theories and practices, often linking it to concepts like Clarence Perry’s Neighborhood Unit, the New Urbanist Movement, Jane Jacobs’ ideas, and policies such as Portland’s 20-minute neighbourhood strategy. To operationalize’ XMCs, researchers frequently develop assessment measures or indexes to evaluate the XMC potential of specific locations. This often involves using secondary data sources, such as local and open-source databases, to identify the location of points of interest. From this data, cumulative or gravity-based accessibility measures are derived aiming to determine the percentage of the population located within x-minutes from specific amenity types or bundles. The choice of amenities defined as basic urban functions varies widely across studies and is highly dependent on data availability. Most studies prioritize destinations related to services, education, healthcare, and entertainment; categories initially proposed by Moreno. However, few studies have examined job accessibility within the XMC framework, often due to data limitations or the perception that work locations are a regional, rather than local, issue. Studies predominantly focus on walking, with relatively few addressing cycling, highlighting the research's strong emphasis on walkability. Furthermore, the literature suggests that especially in regions without a strong cycling culture, local living will be mostly constricted by what is achieved on foot offering a justification for its walkability focus. Studies in Europe and Asia tend to adopt shorter time thresholds compared to those in North America and Oceania. This difference reflects the challenges of implementing such policies in historically sprawled regions, where the inclusion of transit in the analyzed modes often becomes necessary. A recurring finding is that core central areas, especially in Asian and European cities, are more adapted to local living while lower accessibility levels are found in peripherical and low-income areas. Moreover, studies highlight the critical role of zoning laws in shaping accessibility, with mixed-use neighborhoods inducing shorter trips for the average person. Across all contexts, our review of the literature reinforces the need to not approach the XMC as a one-size-fits-all solution. XMC policies should be derived based on an understanding of local travel behavior and preferences, while considering inequalities of access and regional idiosyncrasies, especially in sprawled regions where a combination of local and regional planning approaches is needed to achieve XMC goals.