Work, rest and play, right on your doorstep
What if there was a new way of working that promised greater sustainability, more vibrant local economies, and happier, healthier employees and customers to boot?
What if there was a new way of working that promised greater sustainability, more vibrant local economies, and happier, healthier employees and customers to boot?
Enter the 15-minute city, an idea that builds on the pandemic-fuelled revival of localism to envision an urban landscape of self-contained districts where all the amenities for daily life – food, healthcare, education, work, leisure – are within a 15-minute walk or bike ride of home. The result: less travel, fewer emissions and more time in our communities.
“The 15-minute city is going to be hugely important over the next decade,” says Mark Dixon, founder and CEO of workspace provider Regus. “Communities where the essentials are local are inherently much more sustainable.”
With transport now the most carbon-intensive sector of the UK economy, moving to a model with flexible workplaces located where people live could make a big contribution towards net zero. That’s a win for employers, who are increasingly under pressure to cut their carbon footprints, while for employees, being freed from a long commute will give them back hours of time for family and friends.
“It’s the time-wasting nature of commuting that people object to,” Dixon says, “when they can do everything they need to do with a laptop somewhere more locally.”
It’s no wonder the 15-minute city is attracting the close attention of governments and urban authorities. “Put the stuff closer together, so it is easier to get to stuff” is how Paul Mogush, a planner for the US city of Minneapolis, pithily puts it.
The term “15-minute city” was coined by Professor Carlos Moreno at the University of Paris, and the city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, is a fan. She included a commitment to the idea in her successful 2020 re-election campaign, while the London Plan from the Living Streets charity has identified some 200 districts where it could work.
The growth in flexible working during Covid-19 has acted as a proof of concept, Dixon says, revitalising many a dormitory town whose previously deserted streets are now bustling with life. This has led Regus to come up with an adjunct to the idea: the 15-minute commute. “People have realised that their lives are worth more than an expensive two-hour commute that gives them zero quality of life during the week.” And it’s better for the environment too – there was a 70 per cent reduction in UK emissions from commuting during lockdown.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/static/15-minute-city-regus-commute-workspaces-mark-dixon/