This book examines how proximity-based planning, sustainable mobility, and equitable land use can support more resilient and livable cities. Bringing together international research and case studies, the book offers both conceptual foundations and practical insights into implementing the 15-minute city model.
Structured into five sections, the book opens with the core principles of the 15-minute city, focusing on accessibility, sustainability, and the challenges of measuring proximity. The second section explores policy frameworks, public acceptance, and the role of transport planning, illustrated by examples from Italy and Mexico.
The third section highlights social and spatial equity, showing how inclusive planning can meet the needs of diverse populations—including older adults—and improve cycling access for disadvantaged communities, with case studies from Dakar, Milan, and Lyon.
Land use and urban form are the focus of the fourth section. Examples from Krakow and Iași demonstrate how proximity-based planning can align with broader strategies for sustainable urban development. The final section turns to accessibility, using evidence from Spain, Maastricht, and Utrecht to assess pedestrian access to essential services and its implications for well‑being.
Offering a clear and multifaceted perspective on the 15‑minute city, this volume is an essential resource for urban planners, policymakers, and researchers committed to creating more accessible, sustainable, and resilient cities worldwide.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. 15-Minute Cities, Sustainable Mobility and Urban Livability: A New Urban Landscape Challenge (Louafi Bouzouina).- Chapter 2. 15-Minutes Cities in Uncertain Times: Rethinking Mobility, Proximity, and Circularity (Carlos Moreno).- Chapter 3. Reimagining City Life: Key Concepts and Features of Proximity-Oriented Development (Georgia Pozoukidou).- Chapter 4. Defining and Measuring the 15-Minute City: Towards Consistent Methodologies for Urban Livability (Efthymis Papadopoulos).- Chapter 5. Exploring people’s support of 15-minute city policy implementation and its intersection with the concept’s perceived benefits and drawbacks (Jessica Wei-Lin Lam).- Chapter 6. Urban Factors and Walkability Perception in Medium-Sized Latin American Cities. The Case of Tepic, Mexico (Luis Llamas-Rodriguez).- Chapter 7. Transport planning and the 15-minute city: opportunities and challenges (Clara Loubet).- Chapter 8. Rethinking the walkability and accessibility of the ageing society: Milan 15-minute city for whom? (Mina Akhavan).- Chapter 9. Cycling in low-density areas and outskirts: enablers and barriers to achieve an equitable 15-minute city (Isabel Cunha).- Chapter 10. Everyday mobility and the 15-Minute City in sub-Saharan Africa. Insights from Dakar, Senegal (Pascal Pochet).
About the Author :
Louafi Bouzouina is a Research Director specializing in Transport and Urban Economics at the LAET-Transportation Urban Planning Economics Laboratory at the University of Lyon, France. He also serves as a Professor at ENTPE (École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État), a graduate school for Civil, Environmental, and Urban Engineering, which is part of the University of Lyon, France.
Karima Kourtit is affiliated with the Open University of the Netherlands in Heerlen. Her primary research interests lie in creative industries, urban development, cultural heritage, digital technology, and strategic performance management.
Peter Nijkamp is an Emeritus Professor of Regional and Urban Economics and Economic Geography at VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is also associated with the University of Rijeka in Croatia and Tsinghua University in Beijing.
