Speakers
Description
In the second half of the 20th century with the expansion of motorised transport "traffic function" of the streets started to dominate over the "place function”. The up-to-date urban mobility faces critical problems that require fast, innovative and effective solutions. One of the most visible problems is traffic congestion, which reduces traffic efficiency, increases pollution levels and affects the quality of life in cities (Herrera-Acevedo, Sierra-Porta, 2025), raising concerns about the rapid expansion of climate change. The second is the conversion of the outdoor spaces of the residential environment into car parking spaces, reducing the areas for relaxation, active recreation and other activities aimed at the population's well-being. This, in turn, increases the risks of social isolation and marginalisation. These negative phenomena encourage cities around the world to seek innovative solutions that support the spatial and social sustainability of urban environments (Nello-Deakin, 2024).
The 15-minute city concept emphasises proximity and diversity as key living options in urban planning based on walking and cycling. It is becoming a widely accepted strategy among urban planners around the world who aim to create a more walkable, car-free environment and a shift to more sustainable travel habits (Moreno, C., Allam, Z., Chabaud, D., et.al., 2021; Tammaru, et.al, 2023; Iannacci, et.al., 2025). The idea of a micro-district as the basis of the urban structure has been implemented in many European cities, where they form large built-up areas with the majority of the city population living there (Dragutinovič, et.al, 2023; Galan, 2024). These districts are initially planned in such a way that residents are provided with everything they need for everyday life within easy walking distance. Considering the specific urban pattern of the modern LHE’s environment, our research project 15minESTATES is focused on relations between the ’15-minute city’ concept and the modernist city concept implemented in LHEs. Through selected case studies in five European cities, the aim is to scrutinise if the six essential urban social functions of a ’15-minute city’ are present in the urban patterns in LHEs, and whether the amount and proximity to these specific services would help in saving time wasted in traffic, thus promoting sustainable mobility. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be adopted for the case studies, including mapping, spatial analysis, surveys, and interviews.
Comprehensive understanding of community interests and needs is crucial on the way to transitioning into sustainability. Thus, in this paper we present a complex approach for community engagement for investigating inhabitants’ mobility behaviour and disclose which functions are connected to the car-dependent behaviour of residents in the selected case studies. Comparison of the several public participation methods used during the workshop sessions in Riga and Delft allowed to close the gap in the collected information, and ensure better understanding of inhabitants’ opinions, attitudes and needs. Public discussion, mapping and walking activities examined how distance to daily destinations affects the choice of travel modes of people living in LHEs, what characteristics attract people and encourage them to choose certain paths in the area, and what characteristics of streets make them “places” of social interaction” and supports the “function of place”.
References
- Dragutinovič, A., Quist, W., Pottgiesser, U. (2023) Spatiality of the Urban Commons: Typo-morphology of the Open Common Spaces in New Belgrade Mass Housing Blocks. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 12, pp. 444-457, http://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.11.004
- Galan, J. (2024) Urban Typologies and Urban Sustainability: A Comparative and Landscape-based Study in the City of Valencia. Cities, 154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2024.105344
- Herrera-Acevedo, D.D. Sierra-Porta, D. (2025) Network Structure and Urban Mobility Sustainability: A Topological Analysis of Cities From the Urban Mobility Readiness Index. Sustainable Cities and Society, 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.106076
- Iannacci, F., Chari, S., Papagiannidis, S. (2025) Investigating Successful Sustainable Urban Mobility in Large Cities: A Contingency-based, Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123963
- Moreno, C., Allam, Z., Chabaud, D., et.al. (2021) Introducing the '15-Minute City': Sustainability, Resilience and Place Identity in Future Post-Pandemic Cities. Smart Cities, 4 (1), pp. 93–111, https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities4010006
- Nello-Deakin, S. (2024) “Winner” versus “loser” streets? Pedestrianisation and intra-neighbourhood equity, Journal of Urban Mobility, vol. 5, 100074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urbmob.2024.100074
- Tammaru, T., Sevtsuk, A., Witlox, F. (2023) Towards an Equity-centered Model of Sustainable Mobility: Integrating Inequality and Segregation Challenges in the Green Mobility Transition. Journal of Transport Geography, 112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trangeo.2023.103686
| Keywords | sustainable cities and communities; 15-minute city concept; large-scale housing estates |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
