Chester: The 15-Minute City by MONIKA Studio

Chester: The 15-Minute City by Tony Swindells

Beginners guide or call for action?

Vision

What is the 15-Minute City?

The 15-minute city is a vision gaining political traction worldwide as cities look to rebuild themselves more sustainably, mentally, physically, economically, and environmentally after the pandemic.

Carlos Moreno It is the brainchild of French-Columbian scientist Carlos Moreno who believes that we need to reinvent the idea of “urban proximity” through a sustainable urban vision which sees cities split into local neighbourhoods where everything we need to live, work, play and learn are all within a 15-minute walk or cycle.

The 15 Minute City based on the diagram by Carlos Moreno

Why? Because research shows that if people can work near to where they live, they can go shopping nearby, have the leisure and health services they need around them too, plus access to green space and nature then it allows them to live a more fulfilled, healthy, purposeful and balanced life.

What is Urban Proximity?

Urban proximity is simply a mechanism for increasing convenience and above all transforming our relationship with the only commodity money cannot buy – time. Most importantly the time we spend moving around. Commuting is costly in every respect; health, family life, leisure time, environment, wellbeing, living costs – and on it goes.

The pandemic made us question the very nature of how, where and when we live, work, play and learn – it had a profound impact on our daily routines and environments.

Why now?

Cities became empty shells, our homes become our entire world, the home-working revolution took hold. All at a time when we are battling with health inequalities, social isolation, climate change and the decline of our high streets and neighbourhoods. On the positive - cycling and walking became the most popular, and safest, forms of getting around globally during the pandemic. A globally imposed active travel intervention that proved to us all just how much we could do remotely, within our neighbourhoods and without our cars.

But most importantly how much we could do with the extra time! copyright Openhome 2022

Why locality?

Moreno believes that societies around the world are facing a number of urgent social problems but that physical interconnectedness and urban proximity can significantly help to: • Become more active improving our health and wellbeing • Create closer communities and reduce loneliness • Establish more diversified and inclusive residential populations • Fight climate change and reduce carbon emissions • Economically recharge our high streets and neighbourhoods To do this, amenities need to be located within a 15-minute radius of peoples homes and ideally co-located in hubs or high streets that maximise convenience.

Paris & The 15-Minute City.

The 15 Minute City London by Holly Harrington

The 15-minute city is gaining political traction worldwide. There are already versions of the concept being rolled out with substantial economic, political and material conviction across a diverse range of global cities from Paris to Botaga and Portland to Melbourne. Typically, the vision is being applied to global capital cities that, due to their size, effectively adopt an ‘island approach’ to delivery through the creation of a series of interconnected 15-minute neighbourhoods. Most notable of all the cities adopting this vision is Paris. In 2020 The Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, made phasing out vehicles and creating a 15-minute city a central objective of her term in office.

The 15 Minute City London by Holly Harrington

At the heart of Hidalgo’s vision is the creation of the quarter hour city – a series of interconnected 15-minute communities within each district of the French capital with homes, workplaces, grocery shops, parks, cafes, sports facilities, health centres, schools and colleges just a walk or bike ride a way. To achieve this Hidalgo has made radical policy changes and committed significant budget sums and resources to the reworking of the planning system, the creation of mixed-use neighbourhoods (not city quarters), the pedestrianisation prioritisation of streets as well as a £300million fund for the creation of a bike lane in every street by 2024. The ‘pillars’ of her vision are centred on proximity, ecology, participation and association. She believes that “Paris is a city unlike any other … it is independent, lively, vibrant. It is capable of inventing a new history without forgetting its past” but it can only achieve this through wholescale collaboration! The 15 Minute City Paris is to beone of the first cities to implement the strategy.

Chester & The 15-Minute City.

White Friars Masterplan, Chester Neighbourhood sketches by Andy Farrall & MONIKA Studio

I believe that this vision has the potential to impact more powerfully and, perhaps more importantly, more rapidly in a small, independent and close-knit city like Chester than in its larger regional neighbour cities like Manchester, Liverpool or Leeds. Why, because the basic infrastructure and key ingredients already exist. Chester is fundamentally a physically complete, compact and connected 15-minute city already. I believe, Chester, just like Paris, is also a city unlike any other. It is independent, creative, lively and vibrant. It is surrounded by green space and nature, its rich in history, culture and learning and it’s a beautiful place to live.

White Friars Masterplan, Chester Neighbourhood sketches by Andy Farrall & MONIKA Studio

Above all it is also capable of inventing a new history without forgetting its past, that’s what it’s done for centuries, but like Paris it can only do this through collaboration on every level.

Fundamental framework.

Moreno describes a framework with four basic components; density, proximity, diversity and digitalization. Within which the 15-minute city must ensure that residents can fulfil six essential functions; living, working, commerce, healthcare, education and entertainment. Chester must, first and foremost, address the basic components of the framework. Whilst it scores highly on proximity and diversity it is failing significantly on density and digitalization. Chester’s IT infrastructure is in need of significant investment and upgrade – but we are re-assured this is coming. A far bigger challenge is density. Chester simply doesn’t have a significant enough residential population, instead it relays all too heavily on a transient tourist and leisure population.

I believe that if we make Chester a go to City to Live then by return it will become a go to City to Work and to Learn. After all there can be no doubt its already a go to City to Play!

Better health & wellbeing.

The physical and mental health benefits of active travel, cleaner air, easy access to healthy food options, quality green space, and stronger community ties that reduce loneliness, are vast and well documented.

More equitable & community driven city.

A 15-minute city strategy, in close collaboration with local people and businesses, brings more public spaces in which to play, mix and socialise. It supports neighbourhood businesses and entrepreneurs and enables people to spend more time with their loved ones, their local area and the things they enjoy doing. It brings improved social interaction, greater resident and community trust and an increased likelihood of participation in local decision making and political involvement.

If people are only financially involved then they simply have an excuse to complain. However, if you demand that people put personal time into their communities then you take them from complainers to ambassadors!

A 15-minute city is a place for all ages.

More diverse & inclusive residential population.

It creates opportunities for a completely diverse mix of residents in the city through greater convenience, accessibility and close adjacencies of our daily amenities, from schools, to shops, to healthcare, to parks all within close proximity to where we work, play and learn. It encourages students, young professionals, creatives and digital nomads to live alongside families, singles, retirees and silver surfers.

A 15-minute city means more local and diverse employment opportunities, more opportunities for entrepreneurial startups and independent creatives and more opportunities for companies to co-create, cross pollinate and creatively collaborate.

A boost to local economy.

Workspace in neighbourhoods outside of central business districts creates a cost-effective solution for small & medium businesses with the bonus of extending economic ripple effect to local highstreets. The combination of businesses seeking to deploy less capital into real estate, and employees expecting more choices over how and where they work, will fuel expectations toward local office space to compliment primary real estate needs over the next decade.

More importantly it could generate more creative use of our empty high street buildings and street space.

According to a recent survey by Survation about the draw to work near home, 42 percent of 2,000 UK office workers wanted to work in a serviced office, satellite office or co-working space near home as well as their usual office. People want a more flexible set up. The office still has appeal, but sapping commutes are something which few want to return to.

Other cities cannot put a university at the heart of every 15-minute neighbourhood - think Paris, London, Manchester etc.

Unique opportunity to put learning at the heart of the city.

Chester has the chance to put fully accessible learning at the very heart of its 15-minute city. Chester needs to let students know that there is a future here. It is a great city to study and great city to stay to live work and play. We need to home grow talent and KEEP IT HERE! Universities create significant economic development, support local schools, and offer research and other services, such as opening up their libraries and faculties beyond learning hours.

Universities and colleges often set the social, cultural and intellectual tone of cities and towns, making them more international, lively places.

Lower transport emissions & better air quality.

A 15-minute strategy will reduce unnecessary and unwanted travel and promote a modal shift away from private vehicles, delivering all the rewards of green and healthy transport and cleaner air. To do this we need to think far more smartly about our transport infrastructure in Chester- what we need is an implementable Smart Mobility Plan that will give people choice, cater for access for all and take us into the future, putting Active Travel, Safety, Sustainable Connectivity and Clean techologry at the heart of our city.

Smart Mobility is basically - using more sustainable and more active transportation modes alongside or instead of owning fossil fuel powered vehicles, but in Chester we believe we have the natural infrastructure and have a Vision for it to be far more!

What is the smart mobility?

In 2021 Andy Farrall was commissioned by Chester BID to head up a Sustainable Transport collective to re-imagine the future mobility network for Chester. In conjunction with the Chester Growth Partnership and the Sustainable Transport Taskforce for CWaC (as an input into the review of the One City Plan). Farrall imagined a vision where a Smart Mobility Network re-linked how we move in and around the City and its sub-region.

THE MANY AND GROWING MODES OF MORE SUSTAINABLE FORMS OF TRANSPORT – public transport, cycling and walking but also electric cars, personal micro-EVs (bikes, scooters, mopeds) and e-freight etc.

Smart mobility utilises: from “Re-imagining Sustainable Transport in ChesterThinking Smart Mobility, 2021

USERSHIP instead of OWNERSHIP – people renting, sharing or pooling vehicles or using public transport. INTEGRATION – information and App-based systems to enable end to end journeys and a customer / user driven approach. Flexibility, Efficiency & Usability, Integration, Clean Technology, Safety, Accessibility and wider Social Benefit This is actually happening at a pace in many places across the UK – does Chester take a lead for the benefit of the place and its people or is it just done too! Andy Farrall, 2021

Imagine Chester as an international exemplar of Smart Mobility set within the context of being one of the most beautiful historic cities in Europe. JUST IMAGINE! Andy Farrall, 2021

Smart mobility in Chester from “Re-imagining Sustainable Transport in ChesterThinking Smart Mobility, 2021

• Travellers move seamlessly from place to place • Travellers stipulate their journey and travel preferences on an App on their phone, computer or kiosk which fully integrate public and private transport modes. • Payment happens automatically • The transition from one mode of transport to another is effortless. • Congestion is minimised, air quality improved, and passenger comfort enhanced. • There’s plenty of on-demand travel options, and users have ready access to real-time journey information • There is a branded and marketed bus-based ‘Metro’ – comprising an enhanced and extended park and ride system integrated with the local electric bus and rail networks • There is an integrated network of Mobility Hubs - branded as part of a wider network where you can pick up or interchange your chosen mode • Park and Ride sites have become large-scale Metro Mobility Hubs copyright Openhome 2022

Smart mobility in Chester from “Re-imagining Sustainable Transport in ChesterThinking Smart Mobility, 2021

• Intermediate Metro Mobility Hubs along the P&R based Metro routes enable interchange with the local bus network serving local neighbourhoods, the Rail station and Bache rail halt • Chester’s more disadvantaged neighbourhoods are positively served by the extended and enhanced Metro network • City Centre car parks have been reimagined to be Mobility Hubs serving the City Centre • A cluster of smaller Mobility Hubs are arranged around the Inner Ring Road forming gateways to the City Centre’s main pedestrian streets • More modest Mobility Hubs are located within local neighbourhood centres – forming a focus to a local network of cycling and walking routes – connected 15-minute neighbourhoods • The Inner Ring Road’s roundabouts and subways have been attractively remodelled so cyclists and walkers willingly use them as safe ways to cross the ring road

Chester Metro framework map

Enhanced and extended Park & Ride network concept by Andy Farrall

Smart mobility in Chester from “Re-imagining Sustainable Transport in ChesterThinking Smart Mobility, 2021

• The rail station has 360-degree access rather than just looking towards the City Centre • The city’s main radial roads are Smart Corridors with smart signals & intelligent junctions actively managing key arteries & intelligently prioritising public transport, cycling and walking • There are off-road dedicated superhighways for cycles, micro EVs and walkers as well as safe and continuous cycle lanes on the city’s main radial roads • The University City is reinforced through a ‘ribbon’ of safe walking and cycling & metro routes connecting the University’s campuses • The large-scale City Centre development areas help to fill the gaps in the City’s dedicated cycling and walking routes. • There is a fleet of rental micro EVs (scooters and bikes, cargo bikes, etc) that can be picked up at Mobility Hubs throughout the City. • Chester has become a strong, safe and vibrant urban Neighbourhood, prioritising sutainable and accessible live, work, learn & play for all. copyright Openhome 2022

principles for sucess

What Chester needs now is a singular cohesive, collaborative and implementable 15-minute vision and a diverse community to activate it.

What is missing? We need to engage, collaborate and co-create to deliver what is missing.

• A clear image - what is Brand Chester • A concise, and collaborative, Vision & Masterplan • An Active Travel Network & Smart Mobility Plan • A diverse, inclusive & substantial population of all ages (residential, student and professional) • A City Council with a clear vision on all of the above - The One City Plan firmly embedded in POLICY

• A compelling vision, well communicated

The following 10 principles are based on shared lessons from places with several years’ experience:

• Strong, inspiring leadership • Empowered communities • Research, data and analysis • Partnership, collaboration and advocacy • Addressing inequalities • Adopting / creating new policy • Investment • Hard and soft measures • Evaluation and adaption

Chester City needs a cohesive vision & masterplan to achieve this.

OPEN Co-living concept community sketches by MONIKA Studio

Thank You

special thanks to Andy Farrall CONTACT Tony Swindells OPENHOME tony@openhome.uk +447872 874545 visit: www.openhome.uk for more information