Words by Gavin Haines September 20, 2024 Conservation Environment Health Lifestyle Society Share: The ‘best’ 15-minute cities were revealed, there was hope for coral reefs, and psychedelics appeared to relieve ‘existential distress’, plus more good news This week’s good news roundup Zurich ‘best’ example of a 15-minute city Zurich – Switzerland’s sleek financial capital – has been hailed the world’s best example of a 15-mintute city. According to a new study , 99.2% of its residents live within a 15-minute walk of key amenities, including schools, hospitals, parks, and shops.
Milan, Copenhagen, Dublin, and Turin were the only other cities where more than 95% of residents could make the same claim. The 15-minute city concept – having daily amenities within easy walking or cycling distance – has grown in popularity in recent years amid a rise in home working and active travel. Among the cities to have embraced the idea is Paris, which is now crisscrossed with cycle lanes.
It was the highest-ranking large city in the study. The study – published in the journal Nature Cities – was conducted by Sony Computer Science Laboratories, which assessed some 10,000 cities. An accompanying map was published to show how close places are to becoming 15-minute cities.
In the case of San Antonio, US, not very: just 3% of residents live within a 15-minute walk of key amenities. It’s not the first time that Zurich (main picture) has appeared at the business end of .