What is essential for you to have nearby? I can think of groceries, fresh produce, haircut/salon, a couple restaurants, schools, etc. Those are the obvious ones. What else are you looking for, such as a flower shop?

A multifaceted approach is being pursued with impacts on infrastructure and energy usage, with one of the central pillars being the Low Traffic Neighbourhood, known colloquially as a 15-minute neighbourhood. This urban planning concept envisions a future where all essential facilities are within a 15-minute walking or cycling distance - however, some critics worry about its potential impacts on personal freedoms.

The Livable Deep Cove Project design includes permanent, one-way vehicle traffic on lower Gallant, expanded sidewalks, streetlights, movable bollards, flex zones for protected pedestrian areas or parking, trees and improved road surfaces.

City Hall announced two of its latest steps in the pursuit of making Cleveland a 15-minute city, an effort to ensure that residents live within a short walk, bike ride or transit trip from almost all of their basic needs.

“One, it hasn’t been regulated. Second, its chemical composition can be potentially more toxic, especially for brakes’ [particulate matter] … they’re all metallic.”

Here's another reason why the 15 minute city will win. No one wants particulate matter in their lungs!

“One, it hasn’t been regulated. Second, its chemical composition can be potentially more toxic, especially for brakes’ [particulate matter] … they’re all metallic.”

Here's another reason why the 15 minute city will win. No one wants particulate matter in their lungs!

Ron Davis is running for the Seattle City Council in District 4 on a progressive, stridently urbanist platform and he shared his positions on transportation, housing, and other issues at The Urbanist’s lunch and learn event this Thursday.

Here's an excerpt from the transcript:

And so, as we think about how to get people around the city, we do have to start to think more smartly about it. In terms of, how we do that, obviously, there are a million layers to this, so maybe we can pick them apart. But I think about our neighborhoods first. So before we think about moving from neighborhood to neighborhood, we should also think about satisfying people’s needs in their own neighborhoods. So you often hear this term, 15-minute city, and some jurisdictions use different terms.

I’m particularly impressed by Barcelona. Its goal is to get 85% of trips to stay in their neighborhood within the next five years. Now, Barcelona is denser than us, and has been doing mixed use for a long time. So I don’t think we can hope for solutions that are that ambitious to happen here that fast. But I do think, intentionally legalizing retail in neighborhoods without having to build parking is a start. And doing so in a way that strategically makes sure that the vast majority of trips can be satisfied on foot, or maybe on a bike, by people of all abilities, is the first thing, right, we will reduce car trips, right? Most people don’t like driving. While I do prefer riding on the train and listening to, you know, a book on tape or a podcast, I also really prefer walking just around the corner to satisfy my needs.

After four years of rising destruction in Brazil’s Amazon, deforestation dropped by 33.6% during the first six months of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s term, according to new government satellite data.

From January to June the rainforest had alerts covering 2,650 sq km (1,023 sq miles), down from 4,000 sq km during the same period last year under former president Jair Bolsonaro. This year’s data includes a 41% plunge in alerts for June, which marks the start of the dry season when deforestation tends to jump.

This is all about ’living locally’.

The ‘15-minute’ city concept – developed primarily to reduce carbon emissions by decreasing the use of cars and motorised commuting time – is a decentralised urban planning model, in which each local neighbourhood contains all the basic social functions for living and working.

Many people argue that the concept of creating localised neighbourhoods in which residents can get everything they require within 15-minutes by walking, cycling or on public transport will ultimately improve the quality of life.

Such spaces entail multi-purpose neighbourhoods instead of specific zones for working, living and entertainment, reducing the need for unnecessary travel, strengthening a sense of community, and improving sustainability and livability.