blog
June 2024
The 15-Minute City: A Feminist Utopia?
On June 17th I had the pleasure of launching the TUMI2022 Annual Conference with a Petit-Déjeuner hosted by Women Mobilize Women, including a short presentation of my recent publication, The 15-Minute City: A Feminist Utopia? In a room of women working in all facets of the mobility field and from around the world, I discussed how the 15-minute city concept is aligned with many of the principles of creating a more feminist city, as well as some of the inherent challenges it may present if care is not taken to how it is applied and adopted.
Following the presentation, I asked the group to reflect and discuss three questions related to the topic, specifically:
- Is the 15-minute city concept actually a way to achieve the feminist city?
- Is it possible to achieve the 15-minute city / feminist city without concrete policy?
- What are some meaningful ways to enable equitable participation?
- How can we apply the 15-minute concept in dense, global south cities that have evolved differently than northern / western cities?
The discussion was varied, with each woman providing different insights from their relative perspectives, locations and expertise. One theme presented itself quite clearly, that while the 15-minute city concept presents a number of opportunities to creating a more gender equitable urban environment, the path to applying the concept among the diversity of global cities and cultures is not straightforward. Communities everywhere have evolved differently, and as such simply copying exactly what is being done in Paris won’t work for cities like Bogotá, Colombia, Chennai, India, or even Detroit, USA. But through taking the principles of the concept and applying them in context to the built environments of diverse global cities, together with comprehensive land-use and transportation policies, perhaps cities everywhere can start becoming more equitable places.
The publication, written as a part of our collaboration with Women Mobilize Women, can be read HERE. Do you have questions or want to discuss the 15-minute city concept in relation to making your city more equitable? Contact me and I would be happy to talk about the possibilities, challenges, and opportunities!