The idea of so-called “15-minute cities” has only recently come to my attention but, from what I have gleaned about it so far, it seems to me like a lot of wishful thinking…

The following summary of the idea is a typical piece of leftist pseudo-babble – note the use of woke-ish words like  diversity, inclusivity, vibrancy, and granular..!

The 15-minute neighbourhood serves as an organising principle for urban development and urban life that makes life more liveable for residents, by improving air quality and making neighbourhoods safer, quieter, more diverse, inclusive and economically vibrant.  It requires a move towards a more decentralised and devolved planning framework that understands in granular detail the unique characteristics of each neighbourhood and encourages development that will demonstrably improve the quality of life of the residents in those neighbourhoods. 

The idea of creating 15-minute cities (or neighbourhoods) WITHIN existing cities is simply preposterous if, as it seems to imply, ALL WORKPLACES and PUBLIC FACILITIES should be within a 15-minute walk.  However, when one reads further,  it seems the advocates are mainly talking about a 15-minute BIKE RIDE which is obviously a much greater distance than a 15-minute walk..!

The bike ride presumption is a big fudge since a 15-minute bike ride is equivalent to a 45-minute or even a one-hour walk, and that is not a convenient distance at all..!

As the old Private Eye joke goes – to be continued (on page 94)