EDUCATION & AWARENESS BUILDING ON THE 15-MINUTE CITY
Ok, this is pretty wild.
“Ministers began considering curbs on cycling and walking schemes in March this year, one document said, “in response to concerns about 15-minute cities”, an urban planning concept that Rishi Sunak’s government has repeatedly mischaracterized.” (Quote from article in The Guardian by Peter Walker)
I began developing and hosting workshops last year as part of my dissertation research, including 15-minute city workshops.
I LOVED curating and delivering these workshops, engaging with the public and diverse locals on the realities of 15-minute city planning and, as is always my style, getting into both local best practices and barriers of such planning.
In several workshops, we also worked to elicit personal reflections from the participants. In my most recent 15-minute city workshop with a neighborhood group of elderly residents who convene weekly at a local cultural and community house, I was pretty tickled that when I asked the group if they heard of the 15-minute city concept they said ‘no’ and after I explained it several of them nodded – ‘Oh yes, that is exactly what we experience here, it’s great. That’s why we love our neighborhood.’
Awareness building and education – not just among residents but city shapers and stakeholders as well- on what the 15-minute city is and is not is critical.
Moving forward, as part of my academic lectures, NGO activities at Pedestrian Space and also via our programming at Urban Transit Lab I look forward to further developing and offering such opportunities through my individual work and in collaboration with others.
Feel free to get in touch if you’d like to collaborate.
-Annika, Founder at Pedestrian Space