The 15-Minute City Concept and Public Health: Quantifying the Link Between Pedestrian Accessibility and Population Well-Being in Maastricht

Clémentine Ravereau, Karima Kourtit, Louafi Bouzouina () and Peter Nijkamp
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Clémentine Ravereau: DREAL - Direction régionale de l'environnement, de l'aménagement et du logement (DREAL) Normandie
Karima Kourtit: Open University of the Netherlands [Heerlen], Erasmus University Rotterdam, University College Wrocław
Louafi Bouzouina: LAET - Laboratoire Aménagement Économie Transports - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENTPE - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Peter Nijkamp: Erasmus University Rotterdam, University College Wrocław

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Abstract: In view of the environmental constraints on cities, which are becoming even more acute as a result of global warming, the issue of special mobility is central. Carlos Moreno's concept of the ‘15-minute city' lies at the crossroads between mobility and urban planning. In order to have access to essential services in less than 15 min from home, Moreno recommends rethinking urban space so as to give people the choice of using mainly active modes of transport. This study aims to analyse the effect of pedestrian accessibility on the well-being of the population of the city of Maastricht, taken as a case study. Based on a mapping study of the areas with the best access to services considered essential (education, health, food), the article proposes a method for assigning accessibility scores to the city's neighbourhoods and compares them with existing indicators of the population's well-being (physical and mental health). The results show that there is a clear statistical link between good accessibility by foot and well-being, which can be used as an argument for ambitious urban planning policies.

Keywords: Isochron; Active mobility; Pedestrian areas; Pedestrian accessibility; Urban accessibility; Public health; 15-minute city (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-06-02
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Published in Louafi Bouzouina; Karima Kourtit; Peter Nijkamp. 15-Minute Cities, Sustainable Mobility and Urban Livability: A New Urban Landscape Challenge, Springer Nature Switzerland, pp.289-306, 2026, Footprints of Regional Science, eISSN 2662-9631, ISSN 2662-9623. Part of the book sub series: The Voice of Regional Science, ISBN 978-3-032-20839-2, eISBN 978-3-032-20840-8. ⟨10.1007/978-3-032-20840-8_15⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05707582

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-20840-8_15

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