HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.c. Hold Discussion on 15-Minute CitiesPage 1 of 5
Item 4.c.
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December 20, 2023
TO: REAL ESTATE, ENVIRONMENTAL AND PLANNING COMMITTEE
FROM: DANEA GEMMELL, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIVISION
MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: GREG NORBY, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER - OPERATIONS
ROGER S. BAILEY, GENERAL MANAGER
SUBJECT: HOLD DISCUSSION ON 15-MINUTE CITIES
The 15-minute city is an urban planning concept in which most daily necessities and services, such as
work, shopping, education, healthcare, and leisure, can be easily reached by a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or
public transit ride from any point in the city. As a sewer utility, Central San provides service to all
developments within its service area so long as sufficient capacity remains. Staff will facilitate and hold a
discussion with the REEP Committee on how this planning concept affects future development.
Strategic Plan Tie -In
GOAL ONE: Customer and Community
Strategy 1 - Deliver high -quality customer service
ATTACHMENTS:
1. National League of Cities Article from June 13, 2023
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MI
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Kyle Funk
Julia Glickman
JUNE 13, 2023 - (8 MIN READ)
• Infrastructure
• Mobili
• Transportation
What kind of transformative impact would it have on communities if every resident could easily
access daily amenities —such as libraries, schools, parks, recreation centers or grocery stores —in
less than 20 minutes? As municipal leaders look to strengthen local economies, expand housing
and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they should consider how to utilize an urban planning
concept known as the 15-minute city.
A 15-minute city enables residents to access most daily amenities within a 15 to 20-minute walk,
bike or other mode of transportation from any point in a city, town or village regardless of size.
The concept integrates transportation planning, urban design, mixed -used development, safety on
streets and sidewalks, with policy making and the real -life experiences of residents to allow for
more freedom of mobility and increased opportunity.
Fifteen -minute cities have received some negative media attention because they were falsely
seen as anti -car or be a top -down planning approach. However, in actuality, the 15-minute city
concept gives local leaders a lens to integrate all transportation modes and planning tools to
create an abundance of opportunities for residents in each neighborhood. Policies that further the
15-minute city concept will vary depending on a municipalities' needs and goals but can
include:
eliminating food deserts
expanding government services, especially emergency ones
supporting neighborhood schools
1 https://www.nlc.org/article/2023/06/13/exploring-the-15-minute-city-concept-and-its-potential-for-
communities-of-all-sizes/
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• reducing carbon emissions
• rezoning street corners or high -traffic areas for commercial and cultural amenities
A working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research examines data from the 418
most populated urban areas in the U.S. and found that the median U.S. city resident makes 12
percent of their trips from home within a 15-minute walk. This radius could be expanded if
municipalities aim for 20- to 30-minute neighborhoods (i.e., 1 to 1.5 miles of walking).
Researchers also found a causal link between greater access to amenities and the willingness to
walk within a 15-minute radius.
Building out neighborhoods within a 15 to 30-minute radius can bring positive results for
municipalities interested in equity, health, climate and economic development. Within the U.S.,
there is a sizable population that cannot or should not drive, creating demand for non -automobile
travel among seniors, youths, adults unable to drive or without a driver's license and community
visitors and tourists. Increasing walking and biking mobility options can help meet the needs of
certain populations in this group, lower emissions and increase healthy opportunities for
residents through reduced air pollutants. A study from the American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) highlights that mobility investments in things
like bike infrastructure and sidewalks create more jobs per million dollars spent than other
traditional transportation investments.
"The goal of the 15-minute city is to provide convenient and equitable access to necessities like
healthcare, schools, grocery stores, jobs, and greenspace," writes Cleveland, OH, Mayor Justin
Bibb's spokesperson Marie Zickefoose. "Our transportation system and neighborhood
configurations currently provide this access to residents with cars, which leaves out almost a
quarter of our residents."
How Municipalities are Building
Complete Neighborhoods
As the 15-minute city concept continues to gain prominence, many municipalities have
integrated the concept into their planning and design efforts to help accomplish existing goals.
Portland, Oregon
Portland has used the "20-minute neighborhood" as a planning concept since 2010, when the city
passed the Portland Climate Action Plan and set a goal that 90 percent of the city "could easily
walk or bicycle to meet all basic, daily, non -work needs" by 2030. This design concept furthers
two of the city's major oals: achieving urban equity by ensuring all residents have access to
amenities and public space; and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the share of
trips made with transit, walking and bicycling. To accomplish these goals, the city first assessed
the walkability and proximity of goods and services in neighborhoods across the city to
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determine needs. As a result of this assessment, city leaders also have taken a range of actions to
move the city closer toward its goal of healthy connected neighborhoods. These actions include
expanding pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and trails, redesigning streets for community use,
investing in arts and culture facilities as incubators and building affordable housing in already
amenity rich areas to grow the population that can easily access those amenities.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Part of Cedar Rapids' Community Action Plan envisions that by 2030 all core neighborhoods
will meet residents' needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. The overarching goal of the plan
adopted in 2021 is to reduce carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and be net -zero by 2050.
To accomplish their vision of a 15-minute city, Cedar Rapids plans to update their land
development regulations to expand missing middle housing and scale commercial opportunities
throughout neighborhoods. The city's Climate Action Plan proposes to create a sustainable
development policy that lays out the characteristics, development guidance and incentives to fill
in missing amenities found within their 15-minute neighborhoods. Cedar Rapids plans to
enhance their transportation options and Complete Street Policy as part of their 15-minute city
efforts. All of this work will prioritize vulnerable and under-resourced neighborhoods, including
those experiencing excess urban heat and those lacking tree cover.
First Steps to Adopt a 15-Minute
City to your City, Town or Village
Consider how the 15-minute city concept applies in your local context. Depending on the
geography of amenities and residents in a municipality and its surroundings, the approach toward
15-minute cities may look like any of the following:
• In first -tier suburbs with transit connections to a larger city or metro area, the 15-minute
city concept is a complementary approach to transit -oriented development. Creating
mixed -use and walkable developments near transit and ensuring pedestrian and bike
connections between existing residential areas and transit centers makes cities more
livable for current and future residents.
• Small towns with commercial centers or a main street may think about ways to connect
residential areas, schools and local business corridors to foster a vibrant community and
support local businesses.
• Mid -size and larger cities with many neighborhoods will find varying levels of need
throughout the city. In this case, the municipality might start by prioritizing the needs of
historically underinvested neighborhoods that are least locally served by essential
services.
• Smaller cities' entire geography may simply fit into a 15-minute radius. For example, all
of Auburn, NY, fits within a 15-minute bike radius. Smaller, more affordable
municipalities may consider how this planning concept can help attract residents and
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reduce sprawl. Smaller municipalities in this category may find they have the opportunity
to meet all their residents' needs within their own community.
• Assess the starting place of your city, town or village by mapping the assets and needs
across your municipality.
• Connecting neighborhood -level geographic data is essential to assess hyper -local needs.
It is important to understand population density and demographics, locations of essential
amenities, public spaces, and the quality of walking, biking and public transit networks.
• Set realistic expectations for how the 15-minute city concept can be applied and how it
could most benefit your municipality.
• While a 15-minute walking radius for all essential goods and services may be the vision
for many cities, others may aim for residents to access daily necessities like grocery
stores and schools within a 20-minute walk, while medical services, houses of worship,
and offices are accessible within 20 minutes by car or public transit. You may start with
setting goals around a specific type of amenity, for example all residents are able to
access one green space and one grocery store within a 15-minute walk.
• Determine initial projects that visibly prioritize people -friendly streets. Repurposing a
downtown street into a pedestrian -only plaza, hosting an inaugural open streets event,
or reclaiming parkin spaces paces for outdoor dining can galvanize public support and raise
awareness of this new goal.
• Think about which areas of your municipality are most in need of these changes, and
consider starting with a pilot neighborhood.
The next steps will depend on the goals and needs of your municipality. If you're interested in
reading more about the implementation of the 15-minute city, check out C40's Knowledge
Hub on the topic, which includes a tool to explore examples of 15-minute city initiatives.
Bringing It All Together
Municipal leaders looking to expand opportunities for residents or build more complete
neighborhoods should consider how the 15-minute city concept can be a useful tool for their city,
town or village. Depending on a municipality's geographic size, needs and layout, there is
something for each local government to take away from this concept. While every city, town and
village will not be able to achieve an exclusively walkable and bikeable 15-minute city, complete
neighborhoods, human -centric design, safety, adding mobility modes, and walkability are
important goals for municipalities to consider.
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