People back principles of ‘15-minute’ communities

A growing number of people back the key principles behind the creation of ’15-minute’ communities, according to a new survey.

The survey by Arcadis and YouGov reveals a growing appetite for to local sustainability, health and convenient access to amenities, which are all key components of a ’15-minute’ community, which everything is within a quarter of an hour travel time

The pollsters asked members of the public which three priorities they considered most important to help their local area recover economically from the pandemic.

The highest priority (36%) was health infrastructure, then improvements to the high street and town centre amenities (30%), with green infrastructure such as sustainable housing and transport schemes close behind (29%).

Arcadis also tested these findings with many of its clients and key figures working in and with the local government sector.

Arcadis found that local leaders agree the recovery should focus on creating healthy, green and thriving communities as well as providing an effective public health response which also remains a key challenge.

The majority saw the move towards designing communities around 15-minute principles as a trend that was likely to accelerate over the coming months.

It comes after the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) published a report last month, which claimed the concept of a 20-minute neighbourhood was ‘gaining traction across government’.

‘This research demonstrates what we are collectively thinking and now beginning to talk about. We need to think differently about how we build and shape where and how we live when we look ahead,’ said the chief executive of Arcadis UK and Ireland, Mark Cowlard.

‘There is a growing alignment emerging about how the idea of “15-minute communities” can be a key part of the recovery. This is about developing much more active travel, alongside local amenities, public spaces and high streets we can use and visit including for work, and homes that are greener, more liveable and flexible.

‘Having broad agreements in place about what building back better actually looks like helps galvanise cross-industry collaboration that can support local authorities in taking forward these changes. At Arcadis we recognise that our public sector clients around the world are continually adapting and responding to new priorities, no more so than now. This is why public and private sectors need to bring expertise together and help build a shared recovery that brings positive changes, despite the challenges we have faced,’ added Mr Cowlard.

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