‘The 15-minute City: a new urban model’ with Carlos Moreno

To optimise sustainable urban living, the 15-minute city concept is being implemented in Paris and other major cities to reduce car traffic and CO2 emissions and improve the health and well-being of residents. In this new urban model, cities and neighbourhoods allow residents to access their daily needs (housing, work, food, health, education, culture and leisure) within a short walk or bike ride.

Originally developed by Professor Carlos Moreno during the COP21 summit, and later adopted for Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s successful re-election campaign in 2020, the 15-minute city idea has become an international litmus test for the future sustainability of cities. It received the 2021 OBEL AWARD for being an ’ambitious and complex urban strategy – but also a refreshingly pragmatic approach’.