Cities beyond proximity

Abstract

The concept of `proximity-based cities' has gained attention as a new urban organizational model. Most prominently, the 15-minute city contends that cities can function more effectively, equitably and sustainably if essential, everyday services and key amenities are within a 15-minute walk or cycle. However, focusing solely on travel time risks overlooking disparities in service quality, as the proximity paradigm tends to emphasize the mere presence of an element in a location rather than bringing up more complex questions of identity, diversity, quality, value or relationships. Transitioning to value-based cities by considering more than just proximity can enhance local identity, resilience and urban democracy. Fostering bottom-up initiatives can create a culture of local care and value, while predominantly top-down governing strategies can lead to large inequalities. Balancing these approaches can maximize resilience, health and sustainability. This equilibrium has the potential to accompany sustainable growth, by encouraging the creation of innovative urban solutions and reducing inequalities.

Figures (7)

• Figure 1: A visualisation of the 15-minute proximity times for Melbourne, Tokyo and Bogotá. Blue areas are the ones that mostly adhere to the 15-minute paradigm, while red areas have a scarcer availability of services. White areas are at the threshold, with a 15-minute average time of accessibility. A radial pattern is usually noticeable, with central areas disposing of better availability of services.
• Figure 2: Conventional proximity-based analysis, with simplistic data about place and path (left); Qualitative rich data about tangled knots in a meshwork of trails, after Ingold (right)
• Figure 3: Screenshots of dédédé, a dedicated web-based platform for collecting qualitative opinions about cities.
• Figure 4: Schematic diagram illustrating the interplay between the intrinsic multiscale structure of cities and the full spectrum of agency from Participation, i.e., bottom-up approaches, to Representation, i.e., top-down approaches.
• Figure 5: Different kinds of care.