<
https://medium.com/the-new-climate/in-defence-of-15-minute-cities-dac402c01949>
"I can’t quite believe I’m having to write this, but here goes: 15 Minute
Cities are a really, really good thing. I’ve been a fan of the concept since
visiting Paris in 2016 to research my book about air pollution, during the
early stages of Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s “la Ville des proximités” reforms. I took
part in road closure ‘ridealongs’ and walked along the once congested dual
carriageway, now large footpath and city park, on the right bank of the Seine.
I arrived unsure what I would make of it all, but left with the firm conclusion
that making cities more walkable and cyclable, and reducing the traffic, are
key to creating liveable, breathable cities. The majority of Parisians clearly
agreed, and Hidalgo — whose 15 Minute City programme was central to her
campaign — was re-elected in 2020. (The right bank closure in particular was
bitterly contested by a vocal minority of driving groups, but ultimately the
reforms were backed by the majority of voters — a simple fact I’ll return to
later)"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
