15 minute cities: How they got caught in conspiracy theories

[Nearly Sane]

While Harper is indulging in conspiracy nonsense, the idea of  15 minute cities is often used to justify actions that have nothing to do with bringing them about.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66990302

[jeremyp]

I see where it's all coming from now.

A 15 minute city is one where your amenities are within 15 minutes walk or cycle ride of where you live. This has nothing to do with restricting cars and everything to do with careful town planning. It's one way to cut down on car use by making them unnecessary.

Another way to cut down on car use is to put traffic restrictions in place, as my city has done and improve mass transit options (as my city has not done).

These are two different but complementary approaches to controlling car use. However, some nefarious person has conflated them to pretend that the 15 minute city is about controlling our use of cars. And then some other nefarious person - perhaps the same one - has twisted things further to pretend 15 minute cities mean we cannot travel for more than 15 minutes.

[Nearly Sane]

I see where it's all coming from now.

A 15 minute city is one where your amenities are within 15 minutes walk or cycle ride of where you live. This has nothing to do with restricting cars and everything to do with careful town planning. It's one way to cut down on car use by making them unnecessary.

Another way to cut down on car use is to put traffic restrictions in place, as my city has done and improve mass transit options (as my city has not done).

These are two different but complementary approaches to controlling car use. However, some nefarious person has conflated them to pretend that the 15 minute city is about controlling our use of cars. And then some other nefarious person - perhaps the same one - has twisted things further to pretend 15 minute cities mean we cannot travel for more than 15 minutes.

I think it's that in many cases the '15 minute city' has been attached to actions such as you describe for your city which have been focussed on car use but without the improving the transport options, or indeed any measures to establish and support the necessary services that would make up such a 'city'. I think this is in part it's what easy to do, and in part incompetence - as ever I subscribe more to cock up than conspiracy.

That leads some people to think it's a deliberate plan, and govt ministers are only too happy to play along.

[jeremyp]

I think it's that in many cases the '15 minute city' has been attached to actions such as you describe for your city which have been focussed on car use but without the improving the transport options, or indeed any measures to establish and support the necessary services that would make up such a 'city'. I think this is in part it's what easy to do, and in part incompetence - as ever I subscribe more to cock up than conspiracy.

That leads some people to think it's a deliberate plan, and govt ministers are only too happy to play along.

To be fair, my city is Bristol. It might not qualify as a literal 15 minute city, but it is quite compact and pretty close to qualifying.

And I think you are right: it's what is easy to do. It is easy to put some ANPR cameras up and introduce traffic restrictions. It's much harder to improve public transport so that everybody wants to use it instead of their cars.

[SqueakyVoice]

David Icke, Katie Hopkins and Piers Corbyn ...

'Nuff said frankly. The article is almost worth reading, at least it gives an idea how stupid thick wits have to shout about to imagine they're  making their stupidity sound serious. https://liveapp.inews.co.uk/2023/10/07/tory-ministers-boosted-the-15-minute-cities-conspiracy-theory-heres-the-truth-about-it/content.html

Four pages into the lengthy document, it stated that the “concept of the 15-minute city” had been adopted to ensure people could reach shops and basic amenities within a short walk of their home.

Conspiracy piled on top of conspiracy theory by conspiracy theorists.