“We should all worry about the future, because that is where we will spend the rest of our lives.”
Charles F. Kettering,
(American Inventor and holder of over 300 patents)
Global warming, air pollution, ozone depletion, destruction of wildlife, loss of species and forests, depletion of clean water resources, marine pollution… It is becoming increasingly clear that we must do everything we can to address these major threats. We are now becoming more aware of the fact that continued neglect of the world’s natural systems will not only affect us, but also our children. This realization makes the ideas of ecological transformation, sustainability and livable cities even more valuable.
City in the most general terms: A human settlement where non-agricultural and agricultural production is controlled, distribution is coordinated, the economy is based on non-agricultural production to support it, the organization, specialization and division of labor brought about by technological change have reached the highest level, the population size and density required by wide functions have reached, the level of social heterogeneity and integration has increased, and a complex and dynamic mechanism is constantly functioning. Today, cities are gradually losing their livable environment characteristics with their crowded population and unplanned urbanization. Especially the Covid-19 pandemic, which is still ongoing, has revealed the reality of re-evaluating urban life in social, political and economic terms.
The “15 minute city” concept, which was on the agenda before the pandemic in the context of sustainable city approach, has had the opportunity to develop with the pandemic. The idea of “15′ minutes” is a planning approach that provides access to daily basic needs in the shortest distance. The concept’s approach can be defined as increasing belonging and centralizing regions by improving daily city services. The functions of cities can be listed as dignified living, good working conditions, meeting the needs of individuals, educational conditions and advantages, unity and integrity covering life, life, health, existence and livelihood, and recreational activities. We can consider the “15-minute city” concept as a tool to make the functions of the city effective and efficient. Reducing unnecessary travel within the city, providing more public space, activating street life, strengthening the sense of neighborhood community, capturing a city rhythm based on human needs, designing multi-purpose spaces, as well as maximizing mobility at the micro level and providing transportation resilience in crisis situations are among the goals of the concept. As part of sustainable urban design thinking, the concept helps to reduce car use and carbon emissions, and focuses on ensuring that city dwellers do not spend too much time on transportation to use public services and shorten commute times. Designed around four main principles – proximity, diversity, density and ubiquity – the concept suggests that neighborhood-scale public spaces should be able to fulfill all six social functions: living, working, supplying, caring, learning and having fun.
Carlos Moreno, who introduced the “15-minute city” concept to the literature, said at a conference: “Cities are the most complex systems created by humans. One of the characteristics of a complex system is that it is impossible to predict its evolution. We need to see cities as complex systems and imagine new ways of creating adaptive solutions. This is how I came to propose the living city instead of the smart city. We have to give up this idea of a city controlled by technology!”, he said, demonstrating that sustainable city management in today’s world of complexity and uncertainty is possible with the concept he advocates. We can define the policy of the “15-minute city” project as “putting people at the center of urban transformation”. The “15-minute city” concept has been adopted by city governments such as Paris, Houston, Milan, Brussels, Valencia, Valencia, Chengdu and Melbourne, and activities have been planned at the point of implementation. One of the projects promised by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who increased the global recognition of the concept, during the mayoral elections in 2020 was the “Ville Du Quart D’Heure” or “15-minute city”. During this period, the Mayor of Paris closed the highways on both banks of the Seine River, which runs through the center of Paris, to traffic. We should also see in this context the decisions to reorganize some six-lane roads through the city center. To these decisions on the use of the car, the mayor has also decided to implement new projects to make the area greener. The 15-Minute City model prioritizes pedestrian and bicycle transportation. It has been publicly announced that President Hidalgo has allocated a budget of 350 million Euros for the construction of approximately 650 kilometers of bicycle lanes on every street in Paris by 2024.
One of the most important goals of the “15-minute city” concept is to increase the physical activity level of people living in the city. First of all, what is physical activity? Let’s take a look at its definition: “Any movement that requires the use of skeletal muscles and energy expenditure in daily life” is defined as physical activity. Physical activity is one of the main ways people can improve their physical and mental health. Physical activity reduces the risk of many non-communicable diseases and benefits society by increasing social integration and community participation.
There is a linear relationship between physical activity and health. As the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, inactivity should be addressed as a global problem with health, economic, environmental and social consequences. Physical inactivity accounts for approximately 6% of the global burden of disease from coronary heart disease, 7% of type 2 diabetes, 10% of breast cancer and 10% of colon cancer. The most recent physical activity surveys show that 81% of adolescents (77.6% of boys and 84.7% of girls) are not physically active enough. Among adults, the rate of insufficient physical activity is 27.5% (23.4% of males and 31.7% of females).
Especially people who are trapped in the monotony of urban life are under the influence of many negative environmental factors (intense work pace, pressure, fatigue, etc.). The time spent in traffic is undoubtedly the most important cause of sedentary life due to the fact that people’s place of residence and workplace are in different locations. Other reasons include the lack of places for physical activity in cities and the limited availability of bicycle paths. Apart from work life, long hours spent in front of television, social media and computers have become an addiction, especially in children and young people, and have become the main elements of sedentary life culture.
As a result, the idea of designing cities according to the needs of pedestrians and cyclists is a kind of return to the essence after the car-oriented urban development. In this context, the “15-minute city” concept will make our cities more livable by synthesizing urban design and active living. We will hear the concepts of “Active City” and “15 Minute City” more frequently in the coming days.
Asiye ZOROĞLU
SOURCE
AKTAY Hatice, “Livable Cities Forum was realized with the theme of ‘Cities after COVID-19′”, 15 November 2020, https://www.sivilsayfalar.org/2020/11/15/yasanabilir-sehirler-forumu-covid-19-sonrasi-sehirler-temasi-ile-gerceklesti/ Access Date: 12.08.2022
ALPÖZGEN ZENGİN Ayşe Arzu Razak Özdinçler, “Physical Activity and Protective Effects” www.dergipark.org.tr, DOI: 10.17681/hsp.18017, 2016, 231971 (dergipark.org.tr), Access Date: 13.08.2022
BİTİREN Gökhan, “Project that can improve the quality of life: What is “15 Minute City”?”
March 19, 2021, https://listelist.com/15-dakikalik-sehir-projesi/ Access Date: 15.08.2022
CAVILL Nick, Sonja Kahlmeier and Francesca Racioppi, “World Healthy Cities Alliance, Physical Activity and Health in Europe: Evidence for Action” 2008, avrupafizikselaktivite.pdf (skb.gov.tr) Access Date: 16.08.2022
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, 2009, www.who.int . Physical activity (who.int), Access Date: 16.08.2022
ES Muharrem, Hamza Ateş, www.dergipark.org.tr, “Urban Management, Urbanization and Migration: Problems and Solution Suggestions”, https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/9112, Date of Access: 17.08.2022
EKOYAPI Magazine, “15 Minutes City Concept Won 2021 Obel Award”, March 17, 2022, https://www.ekoyapidergisi.org/15-dakikada-sehir-konsepti-2021-obel-odulunu-kazandi Access Date: 18.08.2022
GÜRSOY Oğuzkan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Uğur Sadioğlu, “21. Centuryda Kente İlişkin Olarak Ortaya Çıkan Yeni Karvramlar” , Ankara University SBF Journal, DOI: 10.33630/ausbf.995115, 01.04.2021
ÖZCAN Şerif, Cenk Hamamcıoğlu, İedalkent, ISSN:1307-9905 E-ISNN:2602-2133, Issue:34 Volume:12., Year:202-3, 1090-1124 DOI:10.31198/idealkent.1002698, “Urban Mobility in the Covid-19 Pandemic Process: World Examples and Ankara Experiences” https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2002111 Access Date: 18.08.2022
www.insaatdunyasi.com.tr, “New Urban Concepts of 15 Minutes Should be Established with the Neighborhood Phenomenon”, 10.05.2021, https://www.insaatdunyasi.com.tr/bolumler/makale/mahalle-olgusuyla-15-dk-lik-yeni-kent-konseptleri-kurgulanmali/ Access Date: 16.08.2022
15 MINUTE CITY, https://www.15minutecity.com, Accessed on 19.08.2022.
