After decades of suburban sprawl, metropolises across the globe are scrambling to right-size and revitalize their urban core. But Erie, Pennsylvania, with its natural walkability, growing entrepreneurial sector, and thriving tourism industry, has the assets in place to be the perfect "15-minute city." If you’re unsure of what a 15-Minute City is, then read on as Radius Cowork takes a closer look at what it is, why it’s beneficial, and how Erie can become one.

What is a 15-Minute City?

Professor Carlos Moreno, Associate Professor at the Paris IAE - Panthéon Sorbonne University in France, and co-founder and scientific director of the Entrepreneurship—Territory—Innovation Chair, developed the concept of the 15-Minute City back in 2016. Moreno is also a specialist in developing human-focused smart cities, technological disruption, and its impact on people and the future of urban environments.

The concept of a 15-Minute City, aimed at building more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive cities, asserts that people should have access to their essential needs within a 15 minute trip by foot or bicycle. Moreno’s research supports that residents will enjoy a higher quality of life when they have access, within a 15-minute walk or bike ride, to six essential urban social functions:

Living
Working
Commerce
Healthcare
Education
Entertainment

BOSTON STORE IN THE 1960s ( photo credit: Erie's History and Memorabilia ).

Essentially, 15-Minute Cities allow people to live, work, shop, see a doctor, receive education, and discover entertainment within their community. But this concept isn’t new. Ask any of our Erie elders about their memories of Downtown Erie. They'll likely paint a picture of a bustling downtown with scads of shops and restaurants. At one time, showing up to shop in the Boston Store was a major affair. In many ways, the concept of the 15-Minute City is the idea of shirking post-war urban development practices and returning to a community-centered life.

Moreno’s work builds on the philosophy of “Chrono-urbanism,” where cities are planned based on proximity, time, and multipurpose areas. But why plan a city based on walkability and bikeability over drivability? Well, it’s simple; it makes life better for everyone.

Benefits

Urban planning policy that aligns with chrono-urbanism principles profoundly affects the livability, resilience, sustainability, and economic growth of a city. More specifically, research suggests that if policymakers follow the criteria of a 15-Minute City, they’ll help:

In an interview with The Academy of Urbanism, Moreno said, “We need to reinvent the idea of urban proximity… We know it is better for people to work near to where they live, and if they can go shopping nearby and have the leisure and services they need around them too, it allows them to have a more tranquil existence.” That is, the closer a city’s residents are to the amenities they need and want access to, the happier and healthier they’ll be individually, as will be the community as a whole.

The Source of Urban Sprawl

the Bicentennial Tower ( PHOTO CREDIT: James Fallows at The Atlantic ).

Many issues propagate urban sprawl that negatively impacts people’s quality of life, from traffic and pollution to public education deficits and crime. Additionally, the sources of these problems are abounding. But one such source is often overlooked: your car.

As Moreno and his team of researchers note, “In cities, cars changed the dynamics of urban planning, opening doors for linear and perpendicular city grids and the devastating consequences of urban sprawl.”

Car-dependent urban planning inherently creates socio-economic inequalities, and the consequences of urban sprawl include diminished biodiversity, reduced quality of life, and economic loss.

Repurposing Erie’s Urban Sprawl

Despite its issues with urban sprawl, Erie is well-positioned to transform into a 15-minute city. However, local municipalities, businesses, and redevelopment authorities must work together to provide and foster proximity-based services and amenities to Erie’s residents. To do so, public and private entities must collaborate to:

Restructure roads to include sidewalks and bike lanes
Provide grant funding for hyperlocal micro-markets
Develop multi-purpose green spaces and parks
Incentivize private medical practices to locate in specific neighborhoods
Create infrastructure for popup-shops
Properly zone for outdoor restaurant seating and market options
Establish more safe shelters for the homeless
Install smart-city infrastructure (wifi in public spaces)
Foster place identity

The Downsides of 15-Minute Cities

Observation deck of Dobbin’s Landing ( PHOTO CREDIT: Iryna Kanishcheva ).

Like most solutions to successful urban development, 15-Minute Cities don’t come without potential pitfalls. As few as there are, they’re important to highlight in order to develop answers ahead of time. For instance, walking and biking aren’t always options for people with disabilities and the elderly.

However, if arterial roads are redesigned properly, sidewalks should be more accessible for residents utilizing wheelchairs or motorized chairs. Further, with more people walking, biking, and rolling, those reliant on transportation via car or bus should make it to their destination faster.

Regarding smart-city infrastructure, local governments must be mindful of information community technology providers that are exploitative in their business dealings. It’s also vital to consider that smart-city infrastructure can increase the cost of living. Increases in property taxes have the potential to outprice urban residents. That said, smart cities also foster equity and accessibility to better employment options.

Why Radius Cowork Cares

view of downtown erie from radius cowork (photo credit: joseph kumer)

We want you to envision an Erie where everyone has access to fresh food, employment, technology, and recreation within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. Further, imagine an Erie where you don’t just wave to your neighbors in passing, but you know them, can rely on them, and perhaps become friends with them. City planning based on proximity connects the city residents, creates more sustainable and equitable systems, and improves the quality of life.

At Radius Cowork, we’ve served Erie as a micro-community for entrepreneurs and remote workers for the past 6 years. We can tell you that the connections that form in this community are invaluable to the people in it. Moreover, we strategically placed ourselves in the heart of Downtown Erie within the Renaissance Centre, where it was most accessible to those on each side of the city. While our downtown core may have some ways to go before it provides the essential functions discussed here, the infrastructure is there to support this development.

But more simply, we’re passionate about the concept of a 15-minute city because we believe in Erie. From its people to its natural resources, it’s poised for greatness. And, if we’re to implore public and private entities to collaborate to help facilitate the process of rolling out a 15-minute city, what better time to do it than when we’re all coming back together after a turbulent, trying, and isolated 2020.

If you’d like more information on Radius Cowork and how our community is contributing to Erie’s renaissance, please visit RadiusCo.work.

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Reimagining Erie, PA as a 15-Minute City