The vibrant 15-minute geographies of suburban Morristown, NJ

Abstract

The notion of 15-minute geographies, neighbourhoods and cities has caught considerable attention among noted urbanists and the media, sparked by the actions taken in Paris to create vibrant 15-minute neighbourhoods. Their defining characteristics were, however, often unclear or questionable: how many of their residents’ needs and wants needed to be satisfied within them? Did they need to significantly diminish car use? Did the use of drive sheds mean an inauthentic 15-minute geography? Could they only be defined by walk or bike trips? These issues are addressed in this paper as we take up the particular assertion that suburbs cannot have 15-minute geographies because auto use would be necessary for residents to access the services and venues that can meet their needs and wants. In doing so, we argue that these geographies have two types of areas that must be analysed: a core walk trip-defined area, and a drive shed-defined associated access area.