Raising the bar on the 20-minute neighborhood model, cities around the world are embracing the appeal of the 15-minute city during the coronavirus pandemic.

Feargus O'Sullivan and Laura Bliss relate a picturesque rendering of Paris, describing the transformation in parts of the city from a car-reliant spiral of streets into a series of self-sustainable communities dedicated to the people rather than cars.
The Minimes barracks, the renovation of the Place de la Bastille, and the now-permanent "coronapiste" bike thoroughfare represent a shift toward "a potentially transformative vision for urban planners: the 15-minute city," as O'Sullivan and Bliss insist, describing an interconnected web of numerous walkable hubs within a city as "replicated, like fractals, across an entire urban expanse."
The authors' article presents the hiring of "proximity city" officials under Mayor Anne Hidalgo's leadership, most notably, Professor Carlos Moreno's rise to the position of "kind of deputy philosopher" of the 15-minute city and the appointment of Carine Rolland as Commissioner for the 15-minute city. O'Sullivan and Bliss show that Paris has doubled down on planning and implementation for a city in which residents have everything they need in close proximity. European centers from London to Barcelona to Milan have also embraced the proximity approach.
"But turning the 15-minute city into a truly global movement will require a big battle over a core urban tension: the primacy of the car," remind O'Sullivan and Bliss.
In the particularly car-reliant city of Detroit (appropriately deemed Motor City) Mayor Mike Duggan's 2016 plan to improve walkability and proximity to essential services under the 20-minute rubric has so far been a modest success. The walkability and bikeability of Portland have also been "celebrated in urbanist circles as a model of U.S. city planning," O'Sullivan and Bliss say.
"Following the unending traumas of 2020, there’s an appealing nostalgia to a renewed emphasis on neighborhoods, even if it addresses only some of the city’s modern challenges," write the pair.
FULL STORY: The 15-Minute City—No Cars Required—Is Urban Planning’s New Utopia

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie