Reducing travel times in cities has many implications. It saves people time and therefore comfort and health. In addition, cities and the planet also gain in health, as it means a reduction in polluting transport and therefore a drastic cut in greenhouse gas emissions. After all, according to some sources, cities are responsible for more than 60% of these emissions.
The urban planner Clarence Perry was the first to propose an urbanism focused on reducing travel times, among other issues. He first used the term “neighbourhood unit” in the 1929 New York Regional Plan. By this he meant a type of urban planning divided into neighbourhoods or neighbourhood units, made up of a sufficient number of families to fill a primary school with pupils. In this way, and in those days, these neighbourhoods would have had between 1,000 and 2,000 pupils whose daily journey to school would be no more than 800 metres.
Today, urban planning is once again prioritising the reduction of travel and the humanisation of large cities. The paradigmatic concept of the new urbanism is that of the 15-minute city. According to this concept, it should take no one more than a quarter of an hour to get from their home, by bicycle or on foot, to any basic service, be it leisure, shopping, health or education. This time should not be exceeded even for commuting to work. Cities such as Paris, Copenhagen and Barcelona have adopted this model to reformulate their urban planning.
Given that estimates indicate that seven out of ten people will be living in a city by 2050, it is clear that the only sustainable model in the medium and long term must be that of a city adapted to people and in harmony with the environment. It seems inevitable that this transformation will eventually come about, albeit slowly. So, the future may bring the decentralisation of services by districts, the reduction of private traffic, the promotion of public transport and priority for pedestrians, as well as the multiplication of small businesses, new green spaces, superblocks, co-working, the extension of cycle lanes and so on.
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By Manolo Barberá, Senior Hydraulic Modulator in the Architecture Department of Amusement Logic
