Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-11-16)

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BloombergBusinessweek November16, 2020

Thishasparticularlyacuteconsequencesforolderpeople

andthosewithlimitedmobility,Rollandpointsout.

ClosertoParis’sheart,shesays,areareas“characterized

bywhatwecallmono-activity—asinglecommercialactivity

occupyinga wholestreet.”Thesearenotablyaroundtheeast-

ernsectionofthecity’sinnerringofboulevards,whichare

dominatedbyofficesandsmallshops,leavingstreetsthatare

livelyonworkdaystobecomequietanduninvitingoneve-

ningsandweekends.

Rolland’sjobas15-minute-citycommissionerentailscoordi-

natingrelatedeffortsbydifferentdepartments.InSeptember,

forexample, 10 Parisianschoolgroundsreopenedasgreen

“oasisyards,”bringingthetotalto 41 sincetheinitiativebegan

in2018.Eachhasbeenplantedwithtreesandremodeledwith

soft,rain-absorbentsurfacesthatwillhelpbattlethesummer

heat.Theyardsareleftavailableafterschoolforuseaspub-

licgardensorsportsgrounds,andtheyopenontorevamped

“schoolstreets”wherecarsarebannedorseverelylimitedand

wheretreesandbencheshavebeenadded.Transformations

likethese,Rollandexplains,involvebringingtogetherdepart-

mentsresponsibleforeducation,sports,roads,andparks,as

wellaslocalbusinessandcommunityorganizations.

Parisisfarfromaloneinattemptingthissortoftrans-

formation.London’snew“Mini-Hollands”importDutch

planningideasthatseektoreduceorblockcaraccessto

neighborhoodshoppinghubs.Barcelonahasbeenturning

400-by-400-meterchunksofroadinareasdominatedby

apartmenttowersintomostlycar-free“superblocks.”Madrid

hasdeclaredplanstocopythatapproach,inkeepingwithits

goaltobea “cityof 15 minutes”asit recoversfromthepan-

demic.Milanhassaidthesame,withhopestoturnCovid

bikelanesandsidewalkspermanentasitseconomyrestabi-

lizes.Butturningthe15-minutecityintoa trulyglobalmove-

mentwillrequirea bigbattleovera coreurbantension:the

primacyofthecar.

It’sonethingtoturna Parisora Barcelona—citiesthat

werealmostcompletelyshapedbeforetheautomobile

was invented—into a neighborhood-centric utopia.

○K-12school

○Preschoolor

child-carecenter

○Grocery

Within 15 minutesofthe symbol

◼Onfoot

◼Bypublictransit

1 mi

1 km

DATA:OPENSTREETMAP,REMIX,U.S.DEPARTMENTGOOGLE,U.S.OFDEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREHOMELAND SECURITY, PORTLAND BUREAU OF PLANNING AND SUSTAINABILITY,

FifteenMinutes

In Three Cities

○ Portland

Alberta Arts District

○ Paris

Place

de

la

Bastille

○ Detroit

Livernois-McNichols

THE NEW ECONOMY