Reporting from Kraków…
Toto, we’re not in a 15-minute city anymore.
When I first learned about the concept of a ‘15-minute city‘ I had an ‘aha’ moment as the city in central Sweden we were living in fit the concept well. In fact, it seemed to me to be a textbook example of ’15-minute city’.
However, I also recognized that with this concept, size really does matter and that for larger cities, the concept would be applicable on a neighborhood scale but of course impossible on a city-wide scale.
Now, we live in precisely a city where I can begin exploring this very concept- of the ’15-minute’ (or 20-minute) city on a neighborhood-based scale.
The city of Kraków has 18 districts, an urban area of 326.8 km2 (126.2 sq mi), a metropolitan area of 1,023.21 km2 (395.06 sq mi) and a population of approximately 780,000 people. Like other cities, each district has its unique history, energy, profile of amenities, services, city space, challenges, strengths and so on.
As we settle in, we will get to know these issues more as well as learn about mobility within and between districts. While we are experiencing a lot of great pedestrian infrastructure, it is obvious that with a city of this scale, excellent public transit is essential and we look forward to experiencing the many options we see in Kraków
