City convenience mapped
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As some Australian cities aim for '15-minute' convenience, most suburbs remain far behind.
A 15-minute city is a concept designed to ensure that residents can access all essential services and amenities within a 15-minute walk or public transport ride.
However, according to a new international study published in Nature Cities, most cities globally, including those in Australia, are far from meeting this vision.
The research highlights significant challenges, particularly for cities outside Europe, where urban layouts often make proximity-based living impractical.
The study used a web-based platform to assess nearly 10,000 cities worldwide.
The tool, which draws on open-source geographic data from platforms like OpenStreetMap, evaluates how close residents live to nine essential service categories: outdoor activities, education, supplies, dining, transport, cultural activities, exercise, services, and healthcare.
The data is then made available on an online platform, allowing users to explore their city’s ‘15-minute’ status.
European cities such as Paris and Barcelona are seen as leading examples, with more balanced accessibility across city centres and suburbs.
However, Australian cities like Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane still face substantial gaps.
In these cities, inner areas often meet the 15-minute criteria, but the peripheries remain disconnected, reinforcing a pronounced centre-periphery divide.
This divide is most visible in outer suburbs where access to healthcare, public transport, and cultural activities is severely limited.
The research stresses that transitioning to a 15-minute city requires more than just adding new services - it demands a complete rethink of urban planning and policy.
The authors of the study found that in many cities, especially those in Australia and New Zealand, becoming a 15-minute city would necessitate a massive relocation of existing services or the addition of a disproportionate number of new ones.
“The practicality of the 15-minute city still needs to be determined,” the researchers wrote, noting that many cities lack the density needed to make this model viable without radical changes.
Australian cities face additional challenges related to their car-centric urban design.
Low-density suburbs, typical of Australian urban sprawl, would need significant transformation to meet the 15-minute criteria.
Relocating services closer to residential areas or improving public transport access are among the potential solutions.
However, achieving this would require a long-term commitment to reshaping urban landscapes.
While the 15-minute city model has gained traction, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when localised living became more prominent, the research reveals that implementing this vision is far from straightforward.
The study concludes that urban planners and policymakers need to address the disparities in service distribution within cities, focusing on reducing inequalities and improving accessibility for all residents, regardless of where they live.