The Sunday Story: A 15-minute climate solution attracts conspiracies : Up First (2024)

The Sunday Story: A 15-minute climate solution attracts conspiracies

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The Sunday Story: A 15-minute climate solution attracts conspiracies : Up First (1)

Carlos Moreno, the Franco-Colombian urbanist, has been helping spread the idea of 15-minute cities — where people can access key things in their life within a short walk, bike ride or transit ride of their home. But the climate solution is seeing huge challenges, including conspiracy theories. Julia Simon hide caption

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Julia Simon

15-minute cities are an urban planning idea growing in popularity. The idea is that you can get to the key places in your life — think work, education, food, recreation — in a 15-minute walk, bike or transit ride. Now mayors from Paris to Cleveland are looking to use them to reduce planet-heating car pollution and improve quality of life.

But they face obstacles — from NIMBYs, to public schools, to death threats for urban planners and politicians. Reporter Julia Simon talks about her months-long reporting on a climate solution that has become a lightning rod for conspiracy theories. This reporting is a part of NPR's climate week.

Michael Brilliot, deputy director for citywide planning for San Jose, Calif., is building urban villages — with a mix of apartments and amenities nearby. He says it's the city's version of 15-minute cities. Most of San Jose is dominated by single-family neighborhoods that aren't so dense. Julia Simon/NPR hide caption

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Julia Simon/NPR

The Sunday Story: A 15-minute climate solution attracts conspiracies : Up First (3)

Michael Brilliot, deputy director for citywide planning for San Jose, Calif., is building urban villages — with a mix of apartments and amenities nearby. He says it's the city's version of 15-minute cities. Most of San Jose is dominated by single-family neighborhoods that aren't so dense.

Julia Simon/NPR

This episode was produced by Andrew Mambo and edited by Jenny Schmidt and Neela Banerjee. Our engineer was Maggie Luthar.

We'd love to hear from you. Send us an email at TheSundayStory@npr.org.

Listen to Up First on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The Sunday Story: A 15-minute climate solution attracts conspiracies : Up First (2024)

FAQs

What is the problem with the 15-minute city? ›

Overwhelming of essential services and facilities

If residents are conditioned to travel to amenities within a 15-minute walk, ride or bus journey, healthcare services can eventually become overrun in areas with higher population density – particular during seasonal illness and in situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is the 15-minute city climate change? ›

The “15-min city” model aims to ensure residents can reach essential places within a 15-min walk, fostering a human-centric, nearby, and environmentally-sensitive urban design (Allam, Bibri, et al., 2022; Ferrer-Ortiz et al., 2022; Moreno et al., 2021).

How did Paris become a 15-minute city? ›

Moreno introduced the idea at the 2015 Paris climate conference and soon started advising Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who made the 15-minute city concept a pillar of her campaign for a second term. Hidalgo has pushed for fewer cars to reduce both the city's carbon footprint and unhealthy air pollution.

Is Cleveland a 15-minute city? ›

His book notes that the 15-minute city concept has nonetheless spread to less obviously fertile ground, such as the former manufacturing hub of Cleveland, whose Mayor Justin Bibb announced the city was adopting the model in 2022.

What is the point of a 15-minute city? ›

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.

Can you leave a 15-minute city? ›

The claim that you won't be able to leave a 15-minute city is false. Just as now, those who wish to drive for 50 minutes to reach their favorite out-of-town supermarket can do so. But with smaller supermarkets nearby–a trend started some time ago by the big supermarket chains—why would you want to?

Which city has the worst climate change? ›

10 U.S. Cities With the Worst Climate Change Risks
  • Tampa, FL.
  • Jacksonville, FL.
  • Orlando, FL.
  • New Orleans, LA.
  • Los Angeles, CA.
  • Memphis, TN.
  • Riverside, CA.
  • Virginia Beach, VA.

What are the four pillars of a 15-minute city? ›

As a starting point, successful walkable neighbourhoods need to be truly mixed-use, as the four pillars of the 15-minute city (proximity, diversity, density and ubiquity) underpins. By doing so, the social, economic and environmental benefits are bountiful.

What is the 15-minute city rule? ›

The 15-minute city is an urban planning concept that, as its name suggests, aims to create communities where people can access key amenities by travelling no more than 15 minutes on foot or by bike.

What is the 15-minute plan in Paris? ›

The idea is simple - that anyone living in an undeniably urban environment, like Paris, should have all their daily needs - shopping, education, health, leisure, even work - within an easily reachable 15-minute walk or cycle ride.

How did France fall so fast? ›

The following analysis concludes that the French lost in 1940 mainly because of three reasons: intelligence failure, operational and tactical inferiority, and poor strategic leadership.

Can you live in downtown Cleveland? ›

Under a remarkable revitalization in 2016, downtown Cleveland offers a plethora of housing options, from luxurious apartments to historic lofts.

Is Cleveland a livable city? ›

Ranked as one of the country's most livable cities—and especially a great place for young professionals—Cleveland is a mid-sized city that gets high marks for its: thriving health care and biotechnology industries. lively arts and cultural scene. low cost of living.

What is the oldest city in Cleveland Ohio? ›

Ohio City—or the “City of Ohio” as it was known at its 1818 founding—was originally a part of Brooklyn Township. On March 3, 1836, just two days before Cleveland's incorporation, the City of Ohio became an independent municipality. It remained so until June 5, 1854, when it was annexed to the city of Cleveland.

What is the 15-minute city challenge? ›

The 15-minute city model encourages creating neighborhoods where every essential service - be it grocery stores, schools, offices, parks, health centers, or cultural hubs - can be easily reached within a 15-minute walk or bike ride.

What was a major problem in the cities? ›

Key Takeaways. Major issues and problems confronting US cities today include those involving fiscal difficulties, crowding, housing, traffic, pollution, public education, and crime.

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