What is a Fifteen-Minute City/Community/District?

  • Several cities in North America are currently exploring opportunities to implement the general concept of ‘fifteen-minute communities’ in their planning documents (a local example of this is the City of Edmonton).
  • The general intent of ‘fifteen-minute communities’ is to encourage a “community of communities,” or “small towns within a big city,” where people can meet many of their daily needs within a 15-minute walk, transit trip, or bike ride from where they live. The concept does not aim to reduce inter-city travel, whether by personal vehicle, transit, or other means; rather, it aims to provide residential areas with more of the services, shops, and amenities that their residents access daily - closer to their front door. 
  • Fifteen-minute communities recognize that not everyone (youth, seniors, people with mobility restrictions) can regularly drive long distances to meet their needs. The concept intends to make living easier for people choosing to live in cities and to support investments in public transportation and pedestrian infrastructure.
  • The fifteen-minute community concept is not being considered for rural or small urban communities. Instead, it aims to bring some of the benefits of small-town life (shopping local, living close to services, etc.) to the city in areas where automobile dependence rates and travel times are high.