Professor Carlos Moreno: Ten years of the 15-minute city

Episode 27

Overview

Ten years ago, in 2016, Professor Carlos Moreno introduced a radical idea: what if everything we needed for everyday life was just 15 minutes from our front door?

What began as an ambitious vision for more sustainable, people-centred communities, the ’15-minute city’ has since become a global urban movement, influencing how communities are designed from Paris to Melbourne, and far beyond.

In this special episode of BE Sustainable, host Mike Speight is joined by Professor Moreno from his office at the Sorbonne in Paris to reflect on a remarkable decade of the concept that he founded.

Professor Moreno explains how his concept moved from theory to reality, why Paris became its first major testing ground, and how the Covid-19 pandemic transformed the world’s understanding of proximity and urban living.

He also explores how the concept has been adapted for towns, rural communities and entire countries, and why its original environmental ambitions have grown to encompass social equality, economic opportunity and quality of life.

But what comes next for the man whose thinking has helped reshape cities around the world?

As the conversation turns to the next decade, Professor Moreno shares a compelling new vision for the future, one that could prove every bit as significant as the idea that made him famous.

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