Recent research shows that 99.2% of Zurich residents live within a 15-minute walk of essential services like healthcare and education, compared to just 2.5% in San Antonio.
When Luke Harris takes his daughter to the doctor, he enjoys walking along well-maintained streets with smooth sidewalks and stroller-friendly curb cuts at every intersection. On days when the weather is unfavorable or he feels less motivated, he simply takes a tram for a few stops.
For residents of Zurich, Switzerland, Harris’s routine is quite ordinary, as many Europeans are accustomed to walking to various destinations in their cities. However, for people in San Antonio, Texas, this might seem like a fantasy.
“Coming from the US, Zurich feels exceptionally walkable,” said Harris, a landscape architect from Portland, Oregon. “Most necessities are within walking distance, and if not, public transport is readily available.”
According to a study published in the journal Nature Cities, only a small fraction of 10,000 cities worldwide qualify as “15-minute cities,” where essential services are accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. The researchers analyzed open data to determine the average distance to essential services such as supermarkets, schools, hospitals, and parks, and assessed the proportion of residents who have easy access to these necessities.
Lead author Matteo Bruno, a physicist at Sony Computer Science Laboratories in Rome, expressed surprise at the level of disparity found in the study.
The study focused on 54 cities and revealed that midsize European cities like Zurich, Milan, Copenhagen, and Dublin excel in accessibility, with over 95% of residents living within a 15-minute reach of essential services. In contrast, sprawling North American cities such as San Antonio, Dallas, Atlanta, and Detroit ranked poorly.
Smaller cities generally performed better, and even large metropolises like Berlin and Paris had over 90% of their populations within a 15-minute walk of essential services.
The researchers developed an algorithm to assess how cities could improve accessibility. They found that Atlanta would need to relocate 80% of its amenities to achieve a more equitable distribution, while Paris would need only a 10% relocation.
Hygor Piaget, a co-author who grew up in São Paulo, where 32% of people live within a 15-minute walk of essential services, emphasized that the study is not about dismantling cities but about encouraging new ways of thinking to enhance people’s lives.
The 15-minute city concept has faced criticism from conspiracy theorists who view it as a government control mechanism. This has frustrated scientists, urban planners, and doctors who advocate for reducing car dependency to improve public health and safety.
“The 15-minute city concept is not new,” noted Piaget. “Researchers have been exploring it for decades.”
The study’s limitations include the variability of open data quality, particularly in cities outside Europe and North America, and practical challenges to walking, such as heavy traffic, crime, bad weather, and steep terrain.
Natalie Mueller, an environmental epidemiologist at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), who was not involved in the study, highlighted that there is no universal solution for all cities. However, the research could inspire more inclusive and sustainable urban designs.
“Reducing car dependence, promoting active and public transport, and integrating green spaces can enhance urban environmental quality and public health,” Mueller said.
Researchers caution that improving city accessibility alone won’t necessarily reduce reliance on private cars. For example, while the Netherlands has excellent bicycle infrastructure, it still has more cars per person than countries like Ireland and Hungary.
In Zurich, despite 71% of residents supporting a 2020 proposal to build 50 km of bicycle infrastructure, there are still complaints about the adequacy of bike lanes and cyclist safety.
“You still see a lot of cars on the streets,” Harris observed. “While walking in Zurich is a delightful experience, cycling, and the interaction between cyclists and cars, still has its challenges.”
