The 15-minute city: Urban planning and design efforts toward creating sustainable neighborhoods

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the 15-minute city concept's underlying principles, sustainability contributions, and implementation challenges. We show that it relies on the seven basic principles of human-scale urban design, density, diversity, flexibility, proximity, digitalization, and connectivity. These principles can contribute to social, economic, and environmental sustainability in various ways. However, the 15-minute city can also been criticized for being physically deterministic, failing to take into account the needs of different social groups, biodiversity, energy-efficiency, clean energies, and culture and heritage. • This study reviews scientific publications related to the 15-minute city concept. • It explores the 15-minute city underlying principles, sustainability contributions, and implementation challenges. • It has principles of human-scale urban design, density, diversity, flexibility, proximity, digitalization, and connectivity. • The concept has been criticized for being physically deterministic and taking a one-size-fits-all approach. • A more detailed investigation of the real-world applications of the concept is needed.