Comparative Analysis Distributive All three plans focus primarily on distributive justice and use comparable sets of essential functions to set a minimum standard of daily needs (see Fig. 18). The plans also use a hub to focus various activities at: schools for Paris, and commercial centres for Melbourne and Portland. This concentration of activity is cited by the Portland Plan (2012b) as being more beneficial for residents versus an even distribution of facilities. However, this still depends on an even distribution of hubs to provide basic access for all, something which Melbourne specifically has been criticized for neglecting (Whitzman et al., 2013). In terms of specific facilities, Paris is the only plan that focuses on decentralizing workplaces and decoupling services from a market-based approach. All three plans also focus efforts on reconfiguring the built environment to better support active transportation and shift trips away from the car. The peaceful streets initiative in Paris represents the greatest departure from car-centric city design and also includes Paris
Melboune
Learn Work Share and reuse Stock up Fresh air Cultivate and engage Heal Circulate Shop Eat well
Local shopping centres Local health facilities and service Local schools Lifelong learning opportunities Local playgrounds and parks Green street and spaces Community gardens Sport and recreation facilities Safe streets and spaces
major routes, which Portland’s Greenways do not. However, Paris is also an older, smaller, and denser city which may make it more conducive to active transportation trips in general. Melbourne is the least developed in this regard, focusing on transit trips to activity centres and the central business district, but the pilot programs all include recommendations for new active transportation infrastructure. There is a recognition from all three cities that mobility and daily services are unevenly distributed, either between neighbourhoods or between centre and suburbs, which forms the impetus for the inclusion of 15- and 20-minute initiatives, however the identification and scale of the unevenness differs significantly. Portland utilizes an extensive analysis framework to determine specific areas and types of need but, along with Paris, this is only applicable to the central municipality (though the City of Portland covers a larger and more spatially diverse share of its region than Paris). Melbourne’s plan is the only one that covers the entire urban region, Portland Affordable housing options Ability to age in place Housing diverity Walkability Safe cycling networks Local public transport Well connected to public transport, jobs, and services within the region Local employment opportunities
Figure 18: Comparison of functions within 15- and 20-Minute Neighbourhoods 40
Full-service grocery stores Neighbourhood-serving retail Eating and drinking establishments Parks Elementary schools
