The 15-Minute City - Printable Version

The 15-Minute City - Printable Version

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The 15-Minute City - Stone - 10-31-2022

The new Feudal Age; how the 15 Minute City will mean the return of the Middle Ages to Britain

Article referred to in the video:

Anger after travel chief announces traffic filters are 'going to happen, definitely' ahead of decision

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Oxford Mail | 27th October

Traffic filters will 'definitely' be introduced in Oxford, said a travel chief, implying the controversial plan would go ahead whether people liked it or not.

A cabinet decision on the traffic restrictions will be made on November 29 following a consultation which closed earlier this month.

But Duncan Enright, cabinet member for travel and development strategy, has already told the Sunday Times: "It's going to happen, definitely."

The filters stopping most motorists from driving through Oxford city centre will divide the city into six "15 minute" neighbourhoods, he said with the aim of reducing congestion and making city life more pleasant.

But his premature announcement hardened residents' suspicions that the county council does not listen to them.

Hotelier Jeremy Mogford, who owns the Old Bank Hotel in High Street and the Old Parsonage Hotel and Gees, in Banbury Road, said: “It’s outrageous. We are all hoping that, as we live in a democracy, that a consultation means what it says.

"We should all be concerned about the fact that it’s not a democratic decision because what he is saying is, irrespective of what we say, they will go ahead anyway.

“He’s saying he could not give a monkeys for god’s sake.”

He added: "I’m told Enright lives in Witney. He’s making decisions that are going to be life-changing for us in the city. I bet he very rarely comes here except for council meetings. If it wasn’t so serious it would be funny.

"We’re being dictated to by councillors who don’t even live here.”

The county council has faced accusations that its public consultations are a token gesture before.

LTNs in Cowley were made permanent despite a consultation showing that 63 per cent of respondents objected.

The permanent closure of a section of Witney High Street and the introduction of paid parking in Woodstock town centre also went ahead despite public consultations showing most respondents objected.

Despite this, councillors are repeatedly urging the public to take part in the consultation on east Oxford low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) which is running until November 30.

Mr Enright explained in the Sunday Times that the heart of the traffic filters policy was to turn Oxford into "a 15-minute city" with local services within a small walking radius.

The new traffic filters on St Cross Road, Thames Street, Hythe Bridge Street and St Clements would operate seven days a week from 7am to 7pm.

Two more filters on Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way would operate from Monday to Saturday.

People can drive freely around their own neighbourhood and can apply for a permit to drive through the filters, and into other neighbourhoods, for up to 100 days per year. This equates to an average of two days per week.

The alternative is to drive out on to the ring road and then back in to the destination.

A maximum of three permits a household will be allowed where there are several adults with cars registered to the address.

Buses, coaches, taxis, delivery vans, HGVs, motorbikes and bikes are exempt and there are exceptions for blue badge holders and people with caring responsibilities.

Mr Enright told the Sunday Times: "It is about making sure you have the community centre which has all of those essential needs, the bottle of milk, pharmacy, GP, schools which you need to have a 15-minute neighbourhood."

But Jeremy Mogford called the plan "a ridiculous experiment" and said it would be disastrous for business and drastically reduce quality of life for city dwellers as well as visitors.

“We live in a small city, why divide it into six? Each area works with the others and needs the others to support it commercially.

“It’s not necessary – do not divide this city. We are not in Glasgow or Manchester – although it probably wouldn’t happen in Manchester, only in Oxford could something so crazy be put forward as an idea.

“They are experimenting on us. It’s a giant experiment at the expense of those who run businesses and those who live in the city.

“But those who will also suffer are the people who live just outside the city who want to come into Oxford and want to drive in as you usually would. People just outside Oxford are going to be the unwitting victims of this too.”

Referring to the proposals for wider traffic measures such as bus gates Mr Mogford said they were ‘ridiculous’ and ‘unecessary’.

“In the city there are these little bits of congestion that we all know about which could be fixed for very little money with a bit of intelligence.

“Yes, there is congestion but very specific congestion to do with term times and the universities starting breaks. There are a limited number of reasons for it to be congested. All of these could be solved without spending these millions of pounds that the council seems determined to spend."

Mr Mogford has received hate mail for publicising his views.

A postcard said: "Oxford has been very good for you. Why do you hate Oxford so much?"

Mr Enright insisted to the Oxford Times that the council is "committed to engaging with and listening to residents and all our partners in an active and inclusive way".

For a year it has engaged with businesses, residents, hospitals and community groups on the traffic filters scheme.

He said responses to a public consultation that took place from 5 September to 13 October 2022 are being analysed by an independent organisation.

But he added: “Car use remains too high for our historic centre to cope. All road users, including people who drive, cycle or travel by public transport are facing the consequences of traffic congestion.

“Traffic filters are just one proposed part of a broader set of measures to reduce congestion and offer alternative travel options to get around without a car.

"We know that we need to take action to improve our transport system and make it fit for the future. The knowledge and experience of residents and businesses in shaping these plans is invaluable.”

He said cabinet members will consider a range of information before making a decision.

"This includes feedback received during consultation as well as data on traffic patterns and air quality, legal advice, and equality and climate impact assessments."

If approved by the cabinet, the traffic filters would be implemented as a trial for approximately six months.

During this, the council would collect information on the effects of the scheme and a decision about its long-term future of the traffic filters would be made after that.

Similar to the WEF's Goals: https://www.forbes.com/sites/worldeconomicforum/2016/11/10/shopping-i-cant-really-remember-what-that-is-or-how-differently-well-live-in-2030/?sh=7beff5e71735

RE: The 15-Minute City - Stone - 12-23-2022

RE: The 15-Minute City - Stone - 12-26-2022

Paris Is Planning To Become A ’15-minute City’

Where everything you need is within a 15-minute radius on foot or bike. The aim is to cut car use, resulting in fewer CO2 emissions and cleaner air.

RE: The 15-Minute City - Stone - 12-26-2022

A 15-minute city in rural America
Laramie, Wyoming, is a case study showing that the 15-minute city is a viable concept far from major metro areas.

[Image: laramie-walk-shed.jpg?itok=OcY4cNaB]

[Image: laramie-walk-shed.jpg?itok=OcY4cNaB]

CNU Journal | APR. 14, 2022

Carlo Ratti and Richard Florida[1] have argued that 15-minute neighborhoods and cities are only viable in highly urban areas.1 In a prior publication, I have argued that 15 minute geographies—neighborhood and city—should be viewed as being composed of 1) a basic Core Area and 2) many larger Associated Access Areas. The Core Area is defined by a 15-minute walk shed from some central point, with supportive services that meet many human needs and desires, but not all. The access areas are places core area residents can go to within a 15-minute trip of any kind. Core areas thus serve as a base for residents to access additional venues and places located well beyond its borders that additionally can meet its residents’ needs and wants.

Rather than carrying over a specific transportation mode to define access areas, I carried over the 15-minute travel time constraint because of its implicitly strong association with providing the opportunity for enjoying a higher quality of life.2 A better quality of life is perhaps the most fundamental argument in favor of 15-minute geographies.

Looking at Laramie, Wyoming, provides one compelling counter example to the Ratti-Florida argument, while providing an excellent example of a 15-minute city—and illustrating the connections between 15-minute geography cores and their associated access areas. Laramie’s 15-minute geographies can help us refine our understanding of what such entities are, building up from what the real world shows us, and how they should be defined.

The City

Laramie is a geographically isolated city with a population of around 32,900. It is the home of the University of Wyoming. It lacks the population size and economic dynamism of similar university towns in Colorado and Montana, though it has strong quality of life. One of the nation’s largest fiber pipes runs through it, with a university operated business incubator sitting on top of that asset. The local population is highly educated: 56 percent of the residents in the city have a bachelor’s degree or better. Laramie has I-80 running through it, and is a major center for rail traffic, with a large rail yard bordering the western side of the downtown. It has an airport. The Snowy Mountain Range that offers many scenic views and recreational opportunities is within a 30 minute drive.

The nearest major employment centers are Cheyenne, a 50-minute drive; Rawlins, a 92-minute drive; Casper, a 144-minute drive, and Fort Collins, Colorado, a 66-minute drive. Cheyenne and Fort Collins also have major retail attractions.

The 15-minute drive shed

Laramie is a city easily contained within a 15 minute drive shed centered on the key intersection in its downtown. The drive shed contains greater area, but only slightly more population and businesses. See map below.

Economic characteristics

65.7% of those working in Laramie also live there
68.9% of those living in Laramie also work there. Both of these numbers are very high.
The average commute time is just 12 minutes!
79.7% of Laramie’s residents commute via car, truck or van, 1.4% by bus, 10.6% by walking and
4.7% via taxi, motorcycle, bicycle, etc. The City has signed up with Bird for a trial program to provide e-scooters.

Inflow/outflow report for the City of Laramie, left, and the 15-minute walk shed centered on Grand Avenue and 3rd Street (the heart of downtown). Both reports 2019.

Businesses in Laramie and its 15-minute walk and drive sheds.

Housing and selected demographics for Laramie and its 15-minute walk and drive sheds.

Residents can easily access about 246 retailers in the city and 254 in the 15-minute drive shed, but 55% to 74% of residents shop out of town or on the Internet for general merchandise such as clothing, shoes, furniture and home furnishings, electronics, sporting goods, jewelry and books. The city just does not have the trade area population and spending power to attract the related chains that Laramie’s shoppers prefer.

Residents also have easy access to 557 firms in the city providing an array of services and 577 in the drive shed. Relatively few Laramie residents go out of town to obtain such services. Services may be much easier to provide than comparison shopping in 15 minute cities.

The downtown 15-minute neighborhood

We also looked at a 15 minute neighborhood defined by a 15 minute walk shed centered on the downtown’s key intersection. See map at the top of the article.

This neighborhood is obviously heavily business oriented and an employment center. It also is very close to UW’s campus. The university has 9,342 students in 2022, with 87 percent living off-campus. There are 468 business in the neighborhood and about 4,234 people employed there. That means there’s 87 workers for every 100 residents. The downtown 15-minute neighborhood has about 15 percent of the city’s population, but 25 percent of the folks working in the city.

Its critical daytime population, excluding visitors, is dominated by employees, with about 4,100 workers and about 1,800 residents present.

Census Bureau data show that only 16.7 percent of those living in the neighborhood also work there, and just 10.4 percent of those who work there also live there. This contrasts strongly with the numbers for the whole city. Many of those work living, or live working may still be only traveling 15 minutes or less to and from their jobs. For many of those living in the downtown 15 minute neighborhood, the rest of the city is a very accessible area within a 15 minute drive.

At left, the services on which downtown, elsewhere in Laramie, and out of town/Internet draws the most visitors. At right, the retail goods that are strongest downtown, elsewhere in Laramie, and out of town/Internet.

The actual downtown district only occupies a portion of this neighborhood, and it lacks any real population density, with perhaps about 100 above-store units. A housing plan does call for another 230 units to be built by 2030. Greater housing density is to be found beyond the district, but within the walkable neighborhood there are about 2,700 housing units. Still, this is not a neighborhood strongly driven by residential uses.

Though the 15-minute neighborhood has about 108 retailers, it is only for gifts and antiques and secondhand items that Laramie’s shoppers are more likely to go downtown than to elsewhere in Laramie. or to out of town, or on the internet. However, many of the downtown shops are quite attractive and unique, so they probably do relatively well with the significant number of tourists the city attracts.

The downtown is much more successful when it comes to services, but those associated with central business district functions or that are prone to rent office spaces are not among them. Instead, it’s going for drinks and cocktails, eating out in sit-down restaurants, and entertainment that draw Laramie’s residents more to their downtown than to other places in the area. Laramie’s downtown has strong Central Social Function venues.

The City’s experiment with Bird e-scooters may find its highest usage in the downtown and on the nearby UW campus and increase the economic ties between the two. If it will reduce auto trips is to be determined. One caution here re e-scooter use: the city is 7,000+ feet above sea level, very windy, with average winter month low temperatures between 8 and 11 degrees. Such conditions can impede e-scooter use and stress their maintenance.

The core and access area components of the 15-minute geographies

There can be little doubt that rural Laramie, located in a relatively weak metro district, is a drive time defined 15-minute city that is operationally viable.

Looking at what can and cannot be accessed in this 15-minute city, we found numerous retail locations, yet considerable retail leakage for general merchandise. It goes mostly to retailers in Cheyenne and Fort Collins, both about an hour’s drive away, and to online vendors. Because of the city’s geographic remoteness, it lacks most potential 15-minute access areas. Some may exist that are related to accessing venues for skiing, hunting and fishing. On the other hand, the demand for services seems to be adequately met by the providers located within the 15-minute city.

Means of transportation to work in Laramie and in the US as a whole.

Certainly 12 minute commutes by vehicles will produce much less environmental damage than the 26 minutes average for the nation. The extraordinarily high level of people who live and work in the city is the reason for the low commuting time, and its geographic isolation reinforces the maintenance of that high level of live-work. This is not countered by the 79.7 percent of commuters using an auto to go to and from work, a usage level below the national rate of 85.3 percent. As is often the case in college towns, walking and bicycling to work in Laramie is well above the national levels. The introduction of e-scooters may have additional favorable environmental impacts.

Contrary to the argument I made about the Kew Gardens, New York, 15-minute neighborhood, the one in Laramie centered on a downtown intersection is not focused on residential uses. The residential units are more likely to be found in what might be called the Greater Downtown, a pattern likely to be found in most other downtown-centered 15-minute neighborhoods.

For the residents of the downtown 15-minute neighborhood, there is walkable access to numerous retail and service establishments, though many may not be the most popular in the city. This is due to where the downtown is on its development arc and the city’s overall economic situation. The city’s cluster of creatives and quality of life are strong growth assets that could be leveraged to great advantage as they have been in Boulder and Fort Collins. The downtown district definitely could also benefit from a substantial infusion of market rate housing. Still, the neighborhood’s residents can easily access the more popular establishments within the 15-minute drive shed. The core of the downtown 15 Minute Neighborhood enables residents to reach into just one 15-minute drive shed access area for numerous types of additional businesses and activity venues to visit.

1 Carlo Ratti and Richard Florida. “The 15-minute city meets human needs but leaves desires wanting. Here’s why”. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/11/15minute-city-falls-short/

2 N. David Milder. “Non- Autarkic, Easy to Define, Pedestrian Friendly, and Residentially Centric 15-Minute Neighborhoods/Cities?” Downtown Curmudgeon Blog. https://www.ndavidmilder.com/2022/03/non-autarkic-easy-to-define-pedestrian-friendly-and-residentially-centric-15-minute-neighborhoods-cities

RE: The 15-Minute City - Stone - 02-15-2023

World Economic Forum’s ‘15-minute cities’ are a godless inversion of the Christian order
At the end of the day, while Christian communities center around God, the 15-minute city centers around man.

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WEF founder Klaus Schwab
Drop of Light / Shutterstock.com

Kennedy Hall
Tue Feb 14, 2023
(LifeSiteNews) — Have you heard of the so-called “15-Minute City?” If you haven’t, here is a quick primer.

A 15-Minute City is an idea cooked up by a city planner named Carlos Moreno, which essentially divides larger cities into smaller portions where it is alleged that all your necessities will be within 15 minutes either by foot or bicycle.

The idea has been around for a while and the World Economic Forum (WEF) showcased the notion as part of its 2021 Sustainable Development Summit.

For obvious reasons, those who don’t think Klaus Schwab-approved projects should be implemented anywhere on planet earth are skeptical, to say the least.

Some have claimed that 15-Minute Cities are a ruse for enacting climate lockdowns, for example. Which is understandable considering the main motivation for the urban-planning craze seems to be the environment. For the proponents of this type of lifestyle, it is believed that people will not have to get in their cars very often, or at all, since everything they need is within a few minutes.

Now, in case you are one of those people who thinks that globalists use environmentalism to control your life, you shouldn’t be worried, because the mainstream media has assured us this will never be the case.

In addition to concerns about the endeavor being used as a control mechanism for climate reasons, people have legitimate concerns about the level of infrastructure development that would be needed. In essence, if this sort of thing were to take off, it would mean a massive restructuring of major cities across the world.

That means governments would have to embark on massive projects that would require massive amounts of resources – taxpayer dollars – and the cooperation between corporations and governments would likely turn the two into a single entity. To put it plainly, only a socialist-styled government could even attempt to pull something like this off.

But what is really wrong with the 15-Minute City?

Aside from the WEF’s approval of the idea, its implicit endorsement of radical environmentalist policies, and the socialism required to carry out such a project, is the idea of a smaller and more manageable urban setting all that bad?

If I am being honest I don’t think the idea of spending less time in traffic and more time in the neighborhood sounds all that bad.

I would venture that many are sick of spending 30 minutes in traffic just to skip to the big-box store in order to get a few groceries.

We also know that sitting for hours on end of uninterrupted time is not good for our health, so if we could spend less time in our cars and more time on our feet, this would likely be a good thing.

In addition, if we live more of a “local” lifestyle, it is likely we will eat better food and forge better relationships with local businesses.

All said, we could say that the 15-Minute City sounds great!

But, like with all ideas that come from Schwab-minded ideologues, there is a fatal flaw in the notion that would further enslave the human race.

Man not God

If you look at the idea of the 15-Minute City, you will find that it is in reality not much different than how virtually all urban settings were during the great ages of Christendom.

The hypothetical maps of these imagined cities are usually circular, with concentric circles of various necessities in any direction. In a way, the idea is similar to a traditional Christian city or town from European history.

Compare the two settings in the following images.

The first is an image of a typical medieval Christian city, and the second is of a proposed 15-Minute City.

At first glance, there are certain similarities.

The medieval Christian towns were built before cars and trains, so it makes sense that everything would be close and within walking distance. The 15-Minute City is not dissimilar, with an emphasis on walkability and proximity to necessities.

In both settings, there would be opportunities for artisans and community relationships, which would make life pleasant in many ways.

But the fatal flaw is this: The Christian City is built to serve God, whereas the 15-Minute City is built to serve Man.

What is at the heart of the Christian City? God.

What is at the heart of the 15-Minute City? You.

We do not need to prove that these new cities could lead to climate lockdowns or population control efforts to know they will fail and harm the human race.

All we need to know is that in the heart of Christian community is God, and in the heart of a godless world is man.

This is nothing but another effort by the spirit of the Antichrist to invert the Christian order and supplant God with man.

It is another example of how the globalist elites of our world seek to dethrone Our Lord as the King of the Universe and make man the center of it all.

RE: The 15-Minute City - Stone - 06-14-2023

The infrastructure being laid in NYC for a 15 min city? Or just another means of taxation?

New York City will charge drivers going downtown. Other cities may be next

CNN [slightly adapted, not all hyperlinks included below - emphasis mine] | June 12, 2023

President Joe Biden’s administration is set to allow New York City to move forward with a landmark program that will toll vehicles entering Lower Manhattan, after a public review period ends Monday.

The toll is formally known as the Central Business District Tolling Program — but it’s commonly called “congestion pricing.”

In practice it works like any other toll, but because it specifically charges people to drive in the traffic-choked area below 60th street in Manhattan, it would be the first program of its kind in the United States.

Proposals range from charging vehicles $9 to $23 during peak hours, and it’s set to go into effect next spring.

The plan had been delayed for years, but it cleared a milestone last month when the Federal Highway Administration signed off on the release of an environmental assessment. The public has until Monday to review the report, and the federal government is widely expected to approve it shortly after.

From there, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) can finalize toll rates, as well as discounts and exemptions for certain drivers.

New York City is still clawing out of from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Congestion pricing advocates say it’s a crucial piece of the city’s recovery and a way to re-imagine the city for the future.

“This program is critical to New York City’s long-term success,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said last month.

The plan would also mark the culmination of more than a half-century of efforts to implement congestion pricing in New York City. Despite support from several New York City mayors and state governors, car and truck owners in outer boroughs and the suburbs helped defeat proposals.

In 2007 Mayor Michael Bloomberg called congestion “the elephant in the room” when proposing a toll program, which state lawmakers killed. A decade later, Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who had long resisted congestion pricing — said it was “an idea whose time has come” and declared a subway state of emergency after increased delays and a derailment that injured dozens. Two years later, the state gave the MTA approval to design a congestion pricing program.

Ultimately, it was the need to improve New York City’s public transit that became the rallying cry for congestion pricing.

Worst gridlock in United States

Each day 700,000 cars, taxis and trucks pour into Lower Manhattan, one of the busiest areas in the world with some of the worst gridlock in the United States.

Car travel at just 7.1 mph on average in the congestion price zone, and it’s a downward trend. Public bus speeds have also declined 28% since 2010. New Yorkers lose 117 hours on average each year sitting in traffic, costing them nearly $2,000 in lost productivity and other costs, according to one estimate.

The toll is designed to reduce the number of vehicles entering the congestion zone by at least 10% every day and slash the number of miles cars travel within the zone by 5%.

Congestion comes with physical and societal costs, too: more accidents, carbon emissions and pollution happen as belching, honking cars take up space that could be optimized for pedestrians and outdoor dining.

Proponents also note it will improve public transit, an essential part of New York life. About 75% of trips downtown are via public transit.

But public-transit ridership is 25% to 30% lower compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to the MTA. The MTA says congestion fees will generate a critical source of revenue to fund $15 billion in future investments to modernize the city’s 100-year-old public transit system.

The improvements, like new subway cars and electric signals, are crucial to draw new riders and improve speed and accessibility — especially for low-income and minority residents, who are least likely to own cars, say plan advocates.

New York City is “dependent on public transit,” said Kate Slevin, the executive vice president of the Regional Plan Association, an urban planning and policy group. “We’re relying on that revenue to pay for needed upgrades and investments that ensure reliable, good transit service.”

Improving public transportation is also key to New York City’s post-pandemic economic recovery: If commutes to work are too unreliable, people are less likely to visit the office and shop at stores around their workplaces. Congestion charge advocates hope the program will create more space for amenities like wider sidewalks, bike lanes, plazas, benches, trees and public bathrooms.

“100 years ago we decided the automobile was the way to go, so we narrowed sidewalks and built highways,” said Sam Schwartz, former New York City traffic commissioner and founder of an eponymous consulting firm. “But the future of New York City is that the pedestrian should be king and queen. Everything should be subservient to the pedestrian.”

Benefits, critiques and mitigation measures

While no other US city has yet implemented congestion pricing, Stockholm, London and Singapore have had it for years.

These cities have reported benefits like decreased carbon dioxide pollution, higher average speeds, and congestion reduction.

Just one year after London added its charge in 2003, traffic congestion dropped by 30% and average speeds increased by the same percentage. In Stockholm, one study found the rate of children’s acute asthma visits to the doctor fell by about 50% compared to rates before the program launched in 2007.

Some groups are fiercely opposed to congestion charges in New York City, however. Taxi and ride-share drivers, largely a low-income and immigrant workforce, fear it will hurt drivers already struggling to make ends meet. The MTA said congestion pricing could reduce demand for taxis by up to 17% in the zone.

Commuters and legislators from New York City’s outer boroughs and New Jersey say the program hurts drivers who have no viable way to reach downtown Manhattan other than by car, and that this would disproportionately impact low-income drivers. (But out of a region of 28 million people, just an estimated 16,100 low-income people commute to work via car in Lower Manhattan, according to the MTA.)

Other critics say it could divert more traffic and pollution from diesel trucks in Manhattan into lower-income areas like the Bronx, which has the highest rates of asthma hospitalization in the city.

The MTA and other agencies have plans to mitigate many of these adverse effects, however.

Taxis and for-hire vehicles will be tolled only once a day. Drivers who make less than $50,000 a year or are enrolled in certain government aid programs will get 25% discounts after their first 10 trips every month. Trucks and other vehicles will get 50% discounts during overnight hours.

Additionally, the MTA pledged $10 million to install air filtration units in schools near highways, $20 million for a program to fight asthma, and other investments to improve air quality and the enviornment in areas where more traffic could be diverted.

The stakes of New York City’s program are high, and leaders in other cities are watching the results closely.

If successful, congestion pricing could be a model for other US cities, which are trying to recover from the pandemic and face similar challenges of climate change and aging public infrastructure.

“It’s good to see New York City’s program is moving forward,” said the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board last month. “Los Angeles should watch, learn and go next.”