Transport TG and Urban & Water TG event
The 15-minute city concept seeks to enhance urban sustainability, resilience, and livability by reorganizing cities to ensure residents can access essential services—such as work, education, healthcare, recreation, and shopping—within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from their homes. This urban planning approach fosters more localized, human-centric communities, reducing reliance on automobiles and aiming to improve the quality of life. Advocates highlight several benefits, including: (a) Environmental sustainability through reduced greenhouse gas emissions. (b) Healthier living by encouraging active mobility like walking and cycling. (c) Economic benefits by supporting small businesses and promoting localized spending. (d) Social equity by improving access to essential services, especially for underserved populations. (e) Resilience by centralizing resources within neighborhoods, enabling better adaptation to challenges.
However, the concept also presents significant implementation challenges. Effective adoption requires careful planning, appropriate regulations, and equitable distribution of resources across neighborhoods. The following key critiques have been raised such as: (a) Exacerbating Inequalities: Without precise planning and implementation, the concept could deepen existing economic and resource disparities, as some neighborhoods may struggle to achieve the same level of service access as others. (b) Conflict with Urban Market Dynamics: Urban areas traditionally function as hubs for labor pooling and sharing. The inherently localized nature of the 15-minute city conflicts with broader employment markets, which often operate across city-wide or regional scales. (c) Zoning Limitations: Current zoning regulations may hinder efforts to align local planning decisions with broader urban objectives. (d) Global Economic Forces: Cities operate within globalized economies, and localizing services may overlook the importance of preparing for global shifts that quickly impact local communities.
While the 15-minute city is an inspiring framework for promoting sustainability and livability, its successful implementation depends on balancing local aspirations with broader urban and economic realities. A more integrated approach—one that considers global interdependencies and systemic urban challenges—might be necessary to build truly sustainable, livable, and resilient communities.
On February 27, 2025, we are honored to welcome Prof. Paolo Santi and Prof. Rachel Meltzer, who will present their views about these matters and how the concept of the 15-minute city can help advance the design of sustainable and more livable cities. They will also present their recommendations for decision-makers in reframing their urban planning approaches and investments, with particular focus on cities in developing countries.
Dr. Paolo Santi is a Principal Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Senseable City Lab, where he leads the MIT/Fraunhofer Ambient Mobility initiative. He also serves as a Research Director at the Istituto di Informatica e Telematica of the National Research Council (CNR) in Pisa, Italy. Dr. Santi earned a “Laurea” degree and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Pisa. His research focuses on modeling and analyzing complex systems, with applications in wireless networks, vehicular networks, smart mobility, and urban science. He has made significant contributions to intelligent transportation systems and shared mobility. Dr. Santi is a Distinguished Computer Scientist recognized by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He has authored over 200 scientific papers and two books. Dr. Santi has been recognized as one of the top 2% most influential scientists in the world across all disciplines in the ranking published by Stanford University in collaboration with Elsevier.
Prof. Rachel Meltzer is the Plimpton Associate Professor of Planning and Urban Economics at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Her research focuses on urban economies, examining how market and policy forces influence diverse neighborhood outcomes, with particular attention to economic development, affordable housing, land use, and local public finance. Meltzer’s recent work investigates the effects of economic and institutional shocks—such as gentrification, the proliferation of e-commerce, and extreme climate events like Superstorm Sandy—on retail activity and real estate markets in urban neighborhoods. Before joining Harvard, Meltzer was an Associate Professor of Urban Policy and Chair of the Public and Urban Policy M.S. degree program at the Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment at The New School. She is the co-author of the textbook “Policy Analysis as Problem Solving” (Routledge, 2018) and is also a Research Affiliate at New York University’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy. Meltzer earned her Ph.D. in Public Policy and M.P.A. from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and holds a B.A. in Psychology and Mathematics from Dartmouth College.
Moderators: Ms. Catherine Farvacque-Vitkovic and Mr. Aurelio Menendez
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