What is a “15-Minute City?”

Can you walk, in 15 minutes, to the farmer’s market to pick up food for the week? Can you take a 15-minute walk and end up in a green space or park? Does 15 minutes of walking or biking from your home get you into the center of town to go to the gym, get a cup of coffee, eat lunch, or pick the kids up from school? This is the goal of a 15-minute city; everything you need is available in 15-minutes or less on foot or by bike!

How Did the Concept of 15-Minute Cities Begin?

The French-Columbian scientist Carlos Moreno first proposed the idea of a 15-minute city in 2016. In 2020, it gained popularity as Paris’ mayor, Anne Hidalgo, used it in her re-election campaign. Now, many cities are considering implementing it. An example is the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group who recently published a framework for cities to start implementing the 15-minute city model.

Why Support 15-Minute Cities?

A 15-minute city is a sustainable city. According to the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, sustainable cities build a stronger sense of community and support better air quality and lessened pollution (because residents can walk and bike everywhere instead of driving). In Paris, Mayor Hidalgo is using it as part of her plan to make the city carbon neutral by 2050.

What Does A 15-Minute City Look Like?

If you live in a 15-minute city, you’ll have everything you need close by, with a wide variety of options for restaurants, groceries stores, and other businesses. This is similar to what we are trying to achieve in Babcock Ranch, where we hope to provide all the essentials to everyday life right outside our residents’ doors.

Babcock Ranch: A Walkable Town

At Babcock Ranch, you have access to 50 miles of planned biking and hiking trails, the 4.5-acre Jack Peeples Park, and the amenities-filled Founder’s Square, all outside our residents’ front door.

Our residents can easily walk their children to school to the Babcock Neighborhood School, grab a coffee at Cup A Joe coffee shop, or work out at Lee Health’s facility. No car is needed!

Want to learn more about our walkable, sustainable town? Give us a call at 941-257-4936 to schedule a visit to meet one of our Town Ambassadors today!