Post AVtIthxwWhkwp7Iu4e by Timdmackey@hachyderm.io
(DIR) More posts by Timdmackey@hachyderm.io
(DIR) Post #AVtIteBcZuJx6Nflq4 by Timdmackey@hachyderm.io
2023-05-20T19:35:33Z
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I’m completely baffled by the “15-minute city” conspiracy. It’s so strange to me how people can take the most innocuous concept (or in this case GOOD concept) and twist it into some imaginary government plot for controlling and surveilling people’s lives. (1/9)
(DIR) Post #AVtIthxwWhkwp7Iu4e by Timdmackey@hachyderm.io
2023-05-20T19:35:33Z
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The 15 Minute City is an urban concept that’s been around in various forms for decades, and the term itself has been popularized and around for years. In fact, it’s not really a new concept at all—the idea is in large part to return to designing cities the way they’ve been designed for millennia, before we bulldozed them (literally) to make space for cars. (2/9)
(DIR) Post #AVtItks1j9o3pdYilk by Timdmackey@hachyderm.io
2023-05-20T19:35:33Z
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Before cars, cities were naturally “15-minute cities”. For the most part people gathered, worked, lived, and had their homes all within a walkable distance. The bulldozing of inner cities and the government subsidized building and zoning of suburbs changed this. Now, people had their homes in a completely separate location from where they worked, gathered, and lived their lives. (3/9)
(DIR) Post #AVtItndxPvKoQs01ku by Timdmackey@hachyderm.io
2023-05-20T19:35:34Z
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The car enabled suburbs to be far distance from commercial areas and zoning prevented shops from being in the same location as houses, meaning that people came to be entirely dependent on owning a car in order to meet their basic needs. In many places you can’t walk to a grocery store from where you live, it’s just prohibitively far away. Same with hour-long commuted to work, same with car trips all over the place to run various errands. (4/9)
(DIR) Post #AVtItqeQEeUNlBEwOe by Timdmackey@hachyderm.io
2023-05-20T19:35:34Z
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Simultaneous, because of the car dependency that’s been designed into our cities, we’ve had to accommodate this dependency by gradually giving more and more space over to roads and parking lots, making that space inhospitable to people outside of cars. Even when there are sidewalks to walk on, you still have to deal with the constant noise of all the cars and the risk of being killed every time you cross the street. (5/9)
(DIR) Post #AVtIttUFgv8WYVVMSe by Timdmackey@hachyderm.io
2023-05-20T19:35:35Z
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(If you primarily drive everywhere, you may not realize how loud cars are when you’re not inside the sound-insulated cabin. They’re very loud, not just the engines but the tires as well. Automobile noise is actually a significant contributing factor to poorer health.)(6/9)
(DIR) Post #AVtItwb67vOYCbjN32 by Timdmackey@hachyderm.io
2023-05-20T19:35:35Z
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So the idea of 15 minute cities is to start restoring cities to how we used to build them—for *people*. Having grocery stores in every neighborhood. Having more businesses near homes, so people can shop and work closer to home. Having gathering places mixed together with living spaces, meaning less isolation and loneliness. Having separate pedestrian streets so that people can gather at cafes, and shop, and be/play outside (Ever wondered what’s so enjoyable about visiting European cities?) (7/9)
(DIR) Post #AVtItzcGu17HZ7IqnI by Timdmackey@hachyderm.io
2023-05-20T19:35:36Z
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Having separated bike routes so families and especially kids can get around without having to drive a car or be driven in a car. (Consider this: Dutch children are ranked the happiest in the world by UNICEF. More than 3/4 (!!) of kids bike or walk themselves to school. They’re also able to see their friends, go to sports games, parks etc on their own. They have *autonomy* that’s only possible because their environment has been built without the automobile as the primary consideration.) (8/9)
(DIR) Post #AVtIu2UwBk24VEtXHM by Timdmackey@hachyderm.io
2023-05-20T19:35:36Z
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Suffice to say, 15 minute cities are something that’s meant to improve the lives of everyone. They’re not some nefarious government plot to keep everyone locked into 15 minute ghettos. It’s extremely sad to me that innocent people are being misled into believing this stuff, to the point of there being public protests in Canada and the UK against “15-minute cities” I hope that conspiracy dies off quickly so that it stops being an impediment to improving the human environment. (9/9)