The diverse opportunities at your feet within a metropolitan expanse like Warsaw are really exciting.
However, the practicality, comfort and quality of life afforded by experiencing the benefits of a 15-minute (or related) neighborhood lifestyle (within a large city) are, for me, unparalleled.
Someone recently commented, when we were discussing the concept of the 15-minute city, that I was taking the issue too personally.
I am regularly immersed in papers and literature on the 15-minute city concept. It is a core dimension of my dissertation, which analyzes it within the metropolitan context. I have numerous 15-minute city surveys deployed as well as an interview series with various local players and stakeholders on the topic.
But I am more than an urban researcher.
This is not only a planning paradigm for me to analyze.
It is a living reality to inhabit, experience and value, and personal experience isn’t irrelevant- in fact it is also core to my research process.
When I survey and interview people on this topic, I hear stories about the benefits of being able to walk their children to school; of elderly people recognizing the brilliant practicality of having ‘everything they need’ within a few blocks; of people reflecting that on their days off it’s so nice to be able to stay local (if they so choose) and enjoy their amenity-rich neighborhood (and also not uncommonly how that led to them buying or renting in that area). People who work remotely note how practical it is now with a home office to also be able to enjoy so much neighborhood life on their breaks or post-work.
I look forward to publishing my research on this topic that is, academically, fascinating to me and, personally, a significant factor in my quality of life.
At Pedestrian Space, I have been documenting observations and snippets here and there for the past several years with regard to the 15-minute city and related themes. You can explore here:
https://pedestrianspace.org/category/15-20-minute-city/
