Design Anthology - Asia Pacific Edition
The 15-Minute City by the Sea
A flâneur is an urban explorer — a connoisseur of the street. In our rotating column, guests share their musings, observations and critiques of the urban environment in cities around the world. In this issue, urbanist Julia Nebrija muses on the merit of the 15-minute city model in her adopted home of A Coruña, Spain
It’s ten a.m. and as I pack my daughters into their stroller, I’m thinking about where it’ll be most sunny when we leave the house. At this time of day, the sun is probably hitting the domes of the City Hall, but not yet covering the large public square in Plaza de María Pita. It might be shining on the trees and playgrounds of the Jardínes de Méndez Núñez, but my best bet is the marina, where its rays are no doubt bouncing off the glass facades that line the harbour. Maybe we’ll chase the sun by going to all three and still make it to the beach, because everything is just that easy to reach.
In the town of A Coruña, in the north-western region of Galicia in Spain,I’m living the ‘15-minute city’ dream. In a one-kilometre radius of most spots in the 38-square-kilometre city, we have our pick of public parks, plazas and waterfronts. We have large grocery store chains and local momand-pop fruterías for fresh produce, carninercías for fresh meat and panaderías for freshly baked bread. We have clinics, pharmacies, schools, cultural centres, shops, restaurants, and bars, plenty of bars. For now, we work from home.
All my daily trips are on foot. The footpaths are wide enough for two strollers to pass each other comfortably, or for four old ladies to walk arm in arm. There are pedestrian lanes in the historic centre and pedestrian corridor projects underway across the city. As a newcomer arriving from Metro Manila, I marvel at these seemingly simple privileges. During what has been a highly stressful and uncertain time for many, the knowledge that we have everything we need nearby provides at least some calm and security.
Conceptualised by university professor and smart cities specialist Carlos Moreno, the 15-minute city promises a more sustainable, liveable urban environment, where residents are able to have all of their needs met within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from home. The COVID-19 lockdowns proved that such complete neighbourhoods are the key to resilient cities — places where residents can survive and even thrive in their immediate environments.
With the concept already adopted in Paris and Melbourne (the Australian version is known as a ‘20-minute neighbourhood’), other cities are now looking to the 15-minute city as a practical model for emerging out of the pandemic better than before.
Cities that can connect people to nature will have a strong advantage. A Coruña’s coastal location means residents enjoy fishing, sailing, kayaking and even scuba diving. There are over two kilometres of beach: the southern corner of Praia de Riazor is where people gather to sunbathe no matter the weather, and the best waves for surfing are found in the northern section of Praia de Oza, which will be one of the most crowded spots in the city come summer.
At the tip of the peninsula that encompasses the old city, vast open fields are home to the Tower of Hercules, the last functioning Roman lighthouse and the world’s oldest remaining. Walking along the coastline, there’s nothing but ocean as far as the eye can see. It’s hard to believe you can feel this type of escape in a city — albeit just beyond our 15-minute radius.