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November 16, 2020

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TheMinimes barracks in Paris don’t look like the future

ofcities.A staid brick-and-limestone complex established

in 1925 alonga backstreetintheMaraisdistrict,it’sthesort

ofstructureyoupasswithouta secondglanceina placeas

photogenic as Paris.

A closerlook at its courtyard, however, reveals a striking

transformation. The barracks’ former parking lot has become

a publicgardenplantedwithsaplings.Thesurroundingbuild-

ingshavebeenconvertedto 70 unusuallyattractivepublic

housingapartments,ata costof€12.3million($14.5million).

Elsewhereintherevampedcomplexareoffices,a day-care

facility,artisanworkshops,a clinic,anda cafestaffedby

peoplewith autism.

Thegreen, mixed-use, community-friendly approach

extendstothestreetsbeyond.Fiveminutesdowntheroad,

thevastPlacedelaBastillehasbeenrenovatedaspartofa

city-funded€30million revamp of seven major squares. No

longera roaring island of traffic, it’s now dedicated mainly

topedestrians, with rows of trees where asphalt once lay.

A streamof bikes runs through the square along a freshly

repaved,protected “coronapiste”—one of the bike freeways

introducedto make cycling across Greater Pariseasierduring

thecoronaviruspandemic.CityHallhassinceannounced

thatthelaneswillbepermanent,backedby€300millionin

ongoingfunding from the region and top-ups from munici-

palitiesand the French government.

Taken together, the new trees and cycleways, community

facilities and social housing, homes and workplaces all reflect

a potentially transformative vision for urban planners: the

15-minutecity.“The15-minutecityrepresentsthepossibil-

ityofa decentralizedcity,”saysCarlosMoreno,a scientific

directorandprofessorspecializingincomplexsystemsand

innovationatUniversityofParis1. “Atitsheartis theconcept

ofmixingurbansocialfunctionstocreatea vibrantvicinity”—

replicated,likefractals,acrossanentireurbanexpanse.

NamedParisMayorAnneHidalgo’sspecialenvoyforsmart

cities, Moreno has become a kind of deputy philosopher at City

Hall as it endeavors to turn the French capital into what he

calls a “city of proximities.” His 15-minute concept was devel-

oped primarily to reduce urban carbon emissions, reimagining

ourtownsnotasdividedintodiscretezonesforliving,work-

ing,andentertainment,butasmosaicsofneighborhoodsin

whichalmostallresidents’needscanbemetwithin 15 min-

utesoftheirhomesonfoot,bybike,oronpublic transit. As

workplaces, stores, and homes are brought into closer prox-

imity,streetspacepreviouslydedicatedtocarsis freedup,

eliminatingpollutionandmakingwayforgardens,bikelanes,

andsportsandleisure facilities. All of this allows residents to

bring their daily activities out of their homes (which in Paris

tend to be small) and into welcoming, safe streets and squares.

Similar ideas have been around for a long time, including

inParisitself.Walkableneighborhoodsandvillageswerethe

normlongbeforeautomobilesandzoningcodesspreadout

anddividedupcitiesinthe20thcentury. Yet the 15-minute

city represents a major departure from the recent past, and

Paris and other metros want

to be “15-minute cities,” where

residents’ needs can all be

met nearby. Can the approach

work in car-centric places,

without leaving anyone out?

By Feargus O’Sullivan

and Laura Bliss

Photographs by

Dmitry Kostyukov

⊲ Place de la

transformed squaresNation, one of seven

THE NEW ECONOMY