Imagine if everything you needed to live your life was within a 15-minute walk...
Impossible? Incredible?
Well, not really. Because that’s very much how life played out for the Victorians. It’s why High Streets became, well...High Streets.
Offices, shops, theatres, houses, churches, schools, doctors…were all on or around the High Street. There were pubs to meet in and parks around the corner. People usually lived just one or two streets away.
Then, cars and trains mobilised us and nowadays, we worship at vast, out-of-town retail parks. Seriously, the essentials of our lives are literally scattered far and wide and it’s become essential to have access to transport.
But, this latest generation seems to want something other than ring roads and commuting, and this pandemic has accelerated some amazing thinking...
‘The 15 Minute City’ is a stunning concept being explored around the world and is the brainchild of Carlos Moreno, a University of Paris professor.
Each neighbourhood should fulfil six social functions: living, working, supplying, caring, learning and enjoying.
It will require minimal travel and could really work well in urban communities with that 15-minute walk/cycle parameter. It's looking increasingly attractive. It would actually make inner cities cleaner and safer...because hubs like that become self-policing when busy.
If councils sponsored the regeneration of our High Street areas like this they'd create a community-based future with a strong economy and certainly help to #savelocalbusiness