Project Overview: 15-Minute City#

This course is built around the 15-minute city concept. You won’t just learn the basics of using Python for spatial data analysis and visualization, but create a small analytical project, step by step, as you progress through the modules.

You’ll choose a neighborhood of any city and by the end, you’ll be able to answer the question: To what extent is the population covered by 15-minute accessibility to all daily needs?

You’ll present your findings through interactive maps.

What Is the 15-Minute City?#

The 15-minute city is an urban planning concept where everything you need for daily life — schools, shops, work, parks, healthcare, leisure — can be reached within 15 minutes by walking or cycling.

The goal is to create self-contained communities and by that:

  • Reduce long commutes and car dependency

  • Promote walking, cycling, and transit

  • Strengthen local communities

  • Make cities healthier and more sustainable

The term was popularized in 2016 by Professor Carlos Moreno in Paris, but the idea is rooted in earlier planning concepts like Garden Cities (Ebenezer Howard, 1902) and Neighborhood Units (Clarence Perry, 1920s).

How Do We Evaluate It?#

A key part of turning the 15-minute city from idea into reality is measuring and analyzing accessibility: How close are amenities actually, and who has (or lacks) access?

Using open spatial data (e.g., from OpenStreetMap), we can:

  • Map where services (schools, hospitals, shops, transport) are located

  • Calculate walking accessibility form them (buffers and isochrones)

  • Overlay population data to see who has access — and who doesn’t

  • Visualize findings

In this course, each assignment is both a technical exercise and a piece of a bigger project

Readings & Resources#

While this project focuses mainly on the technical side of spatial data analysis, we also encourage you to explore the broader urban planning ideas behind the 15-minute city. The readings below will help you dive deeper into the concept, its history, and real-world applications:

  1. Moreno, C. et al. (2021). Introducing the “15-Minute City”. Smart Cities, 4(1), 93–111.

  2. University of the Built Environment (2024). A guide to 15-minute cities: why are they so controversial?

  3. Mastering Public Space (2023). Paris’ Vision for a ‘15-Minute City’ Sparks a Global Movement

  4. UBE (2024). 10 examples of 15-minute cities (Paris, Melbourne, Shanghai, Bogotá, etc.)

  5. Metwally, E. et al. (2025). The role of GIS in promoting the 15-minute city concept… Mansoura Engineering Journal, 50(1). Article link

  6. Architecture 2030 – 2030 Palette. 15 Minute City

  7. Bloomberg CityLab (2023). Where the 15-Minute City Falls Short (and related articles on debates & controversies).

  8. France24 (2024). Where in the world is closest to becoming a ‘15-minute city’?

City Access Map — an interactive map where you can explore the accessibility of services in cities all around the globe