Speaker
Description
The novel concept of the 15-minute city has gained ground in the planning domain worldwide due to the numerous benefits proclaimed for local communities. Although it builds upon previous urban planning movements and ideas, new labelling at the right time has absorbed extra attention when cities globally face resource constraints, climate change, vulnerable settlements, pandemics, and social exclusion. The concept promotes a proximity-based approach in neighbourhood planning and design by which accessing daily needs for locals is guaranteed within a 15-minute walk/ bicycle ride of their home. While the fundamentals of the concept are promising, its prescriptive nature, like its previous counterparts, does not allow for understanding how popular it is for people and how different socio-economic groups react to it convergently. In fact, much less is known about the inclusive applicability of this new approach with regard to diverse societal profiles. The present study sheds light on when, where and for whom “proximity to services” will result in “using proximate services”. This research takes the Brussels capital region as a case study following an in-depth quantitative analysis of public perception. In doing so, primary data are gathered using an online survey of different neighbourhoods and socioeconomic groups across the study area. The results reveal the associations between perceived proximity and behaviour and control for socio-economic characteristics of residents and indicate what factors lie behind the actualized use of proximate services. The findings contribute to our understanding of the inclusiveness of the 15-minute city model beyond prescriptive planning and design dimensions, and provide a basis for future applications in other urban settings, having multiple scientific, and social impacts on global communities in the long term.
| Keywords | 15-minute city; Neighborhood; Proximity; Public perception; Perceived proximity |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
