It’s a brand new year! Many cities are set to change for the better in ways that will make urban life more sustainable, refreshing, and leisurely. Welcome to the 15-minute city, where people have everything they need (work, restobars, restaurants, shops, schools, healthcare, leisure) within a quarter-hour trip from home — at the heart of their Covid recovery plans.
The ’15-minute cities’ global campaign is being spearheaded by the C40 Cities, a network of the world’s megacities. We can make city life more accessible, sustainable & enjoyable by creating “15-minute cities, believes the network. Mayors of the C40 cities are committed to cleaning the air we breathe and ensuring that residents can meet all their needs within a short walk or bike ride to accelerate a green & just recovery.
“Big cities like Paris, London and Sydney could become vast urban areas made up of several smaller communities, each with their own center,” agrees Frederik Anseel, professor at the University of New South Wales.
C40Cities is advocating the creation of ‘15 minute cities’ where all residents of the city are able to meet most of their needs within a short walk or bicycle ride from their homes. It wants to give streets back to people, by permanently reallocating more road space to walking and cycling, investing in city-wide walking and cycling networks and green infrastructure.
The focus is on building with nature to prioritize ‘nature-based solutions’ such as parks, green roofs, green walls, blue infrastructure and permeable pavements, to help reduce the risks of extreme heat, drought, and flooding, and improve physical and mental health.
How might COVID-19 spur the rise of smart cities
Governments around the world have championed the idea of smart cities, and the dramatic changes to the workforce brought about by organizational responses to COVID-19 are only likely to accelerate the shift to smart cities. Experts like Prof Anseel believe the workplace should become a place where people come to collaborate, share and exchange information, creatively solve problems, build a community and identity.
“What I expect is that a new work philosophy will merge with the ideas of smart cities. Companies will have smaller workspaces to meet all over the city, closer to peoples’ homes,” he says.
“This is the concept of the 15-minute city, where people do not need to commute for long times. Work hubs will also be more embedded in community life, making it easier to flexibly switch from meeting someone, doing some concentrated work at home, go shopping and exercise and go out with friends or colleagues – all in the vicinity of one’s own house and workspace.”
Time is valuable; the less time we spend in transit, the more time we spend doing things we love. The very concept on which Hiranandani Parks, Oragadam was developed.
The 360+ acre township with a focus on Live-Work-Learn-Enjoy Life is designed and planned in a manner so that one can ‘walk from home’ to all essential services including grocery stores, medical facilities, schools, and the workplace, sports, and entertainment.
The 15 minutes city is set to make city life more accessible, sustainable & enjoyable.
Visit www.hiranandaniparks.com to check out the township that is built around a smart lifestyle.