From Garden City to 15-Minute City: A Historical Perspective and Critical Assessment

Amir Reza Khavarian-Garmsir (), Ayyoob Sharifi (), Mohammad Hajian Hossein Abadi and Zahra Moradi
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Amir Reza Khavarian-Garmsir: Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Geographical Sciences and Planning, University of Isfahan, Isfahan 8174673441, Iran
Ayyoob Sharifi: The IDEC Institute & Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability (NERPS), Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8529, Hiroshima, Japan
Mohammad Hajian Hossein Abadi: Department of Human Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417935840, Iran
Zahra Moradi: Department of Human Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417935840, Iran

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: The 15-minute city concept was introduced as a post-COVID strategy to support more sustainable recovery from the pandemic and develop complete, climate-sensitive, and resilient neighborhoods. This review examines key neighborhood planning movements to identify the origins of the 15-minute city concept. These include the garden city, neighborhood unit plan, modernist urbanism, post-modern urbanism, and eco-urbanism, which have emerged since the late 19th century. The results of the study show that the concept of the 15-minute city has ten basic characteristics: proximity, density, diversity, mixed-use, modularity, adaptability, flexibility, human-scale design, connectivity, and digitalization. The concept has been successful in advancing theoretical debates on sustainable urbanism. However, some criticisms of past planning movements also apply to the 15-minute city. Similar to the neighborhood unit and modernist urbanism, the concept follows a philosophy of physical determinism, setting goals without specifying how or by what means they will be achieved. At this point, one can only speculate about the future of the concept. A more detailed study of the real-world applications of the concept is needed before one can thoroughly discuss its strengths and weaknesses.

Keywords: 15-minute city; neighborhood planning; garden city; neighborhood unit; modernism; post-modern urbanism; new urbanism; eco-urbanism; post-pandemic city (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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