The '15-minute city' could limit global warming — if it can counter misinformation
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Over the past week, NPR listeners have learned about all kinds of inspiring and innovative ways to address the climate crisis, from cargo ships running on wind power to cut down on emissions to women in the Himalayan foothills that are learning how to revive spring water. To keep Climate Solutions Week rolling, I'm joined by Julia Simon, NPR's Climate Solutions reporter. Welcome to the program.
JULIA SIMON, BYLINE: Hi, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So I hear that you've got a story about a specific climate solution that's been spreading through cities around the world. Where do we start?
SIMON: We start in the neighborhood where I used to live - in Paris.
So I am on my old Parisian street, a little cobblestone passage with vines covering the buildings.
And I tried an experiment with my stopwatch and see where I can go by foot in 15 minutes.
Let's go. (Speaking French).
In one minute, I made it to (speaking French), a preschool. I made it to a bookstore in three minutes, pharmacy in four minutes, the bakery in a little more than five minutes.
OK, I just had to get a baguette while I'm here. You kidding me? Another park?
All in a 15-minute walk. Ayesha, what I experienced is a blueprint for a global climate solution called the 15-minute city.
RASCOE: So what does that mean?
SIMON: It's a city where you can get the key things in your life in a 15-minute walk, bike ride or transit ride from your home. On the banks of the Seine in Paris, I met the person behind the idea.
CARLOS MORENO: (Speaking Spanish).
SIMON: (Speaking Spanish).
Carlos Moreno is Franco-Colombian. He's an urbanist. My old, dense neighborhood was built more than a century ago, but Moreno's been helping the mayor of Paris foster these neighborhoods across the city. They're converting old military buildings, old parking structures into buildings with a mix of apartments, offices, businesses. They're building parks, hundreds of miles of protected bike lanes.
RASCOE: And so is this a climate solution because it reduces cars?
SIMON: Yes. Cars are nearly 10% of global energy-related carbon dioxide pollution. Moreno started in Paris, but this idea of ecological 15-minute cities is spreading across the world.
JUSTIN BIBB: I saw a news article about this big phenomenon being created in Paris around the 15-minute city.
SIMON: This is Justin Bibb, who is now the mayor of Cleveland.
BIBB: I read up on it. I'm like, oh, the dots are connecting for me now.
SIMON: He thought of when he studied abroad in London and would walk to class and walk to restaurants.
BIBB: I thought about my childhood. I lived in a 15-minute city neighborhood at the time.
SIMON: He thought, I want more of this for Cleveland. When he came into office last year, he got to work on it.
RASCOE: So how is he putting this into place?
SIMON: Bibb's office immediately found there are lots of technical 15-minute cities in Cleveland, but the walk isn't so easy. There may be buses, but they don't run so frequently. So it's in the early stages of working on infrastructure, more public transit, sidewalks, bike lanes. But, Ayesha, there are some key obstacles for 15-minute cities, and the first one is conspiracy theories. To explain, we start in West Oxfordshire in the U.K. with County Councillor Duncan Enright. He's been trying to make what are essentially bus lanes, and last year he was at this community meeting with some people he doesn't recognize.
DUNCAN ENRIGHT: And at a certain point in the meeting, one of them stood up and said, what about 15-minute cities? And to be honest, first I'd ever heard of that phrase.
SIMON: It got agitated. Enright went over.
ENRIGHT: And they were explaining all about this theory about 15-minute cities by which they meant you would only be able to travel 15 minutes from your home.
RASCOE: So what is this conspiracy theory exactly?
SIMON: Basically, the false accusation is that a cabal of global elites will use 15-minute cities to limit people's movement and trap them in open-air prisons. Here's Enright.
ENRIGHT: And I explained to them that my job is to make travel easier so people can go wherever they like to find opportunity, jobs, education, not to stop people going more than 15 minutes.
RASCOE: So how did we get from bus lanes to this false idea about open-air prisons?
SIMON: Misinformation around climate change used to focus on denying global warming. Now attacks focus on climate solutions, often the idea that climate change is this pretext for stripping people's civil liberties. Here's podcaster Joe Rogan last month.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE")
JOE ROGAN: You'll essentially be contained unless you get permission to leave, which is...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Really? How are they going to put us in there?
ROGAN: Yeah, that's the idea they're starting to roll out in Europe.
SIMON: Last week, the secretary of state for transport in the U.K. used some of the language of 15-minute city conspiracies. It's getting mainstream.
RASCOE: So how do these conspiracy theories hinder the 15-minute cities?
SIMON: Enright and his colleagues started getting death threats. Carlos Moreno got death threats too. Moreno says other researchers and scientists he know have faced attacks, which makes them reluctant to publish about their work on climate solutions.
RASCOE: So are there obstacles that are specific to the U.S.?
SIMON: Yes, zoning to build only single-family homes. Here's Jonathan Levine, professor of urban planning at University of Michigan.
JONATHAN LEVINE: Would I say that it's a problem? It's enormous. The single-family zone absolutely dominates residential land in all of our metropolitan areas.
SIMON: Levine says single-family zoning traces back to policies of segregation. It reduces density because you can't fit as many people onto a lot with a house compared to an apartment. And all this zoning precludes establishing retail businesses, which make 15-minute cities possible.
RASCOE: All right. So what's the last big obstacle that you found for 15-minute cities?
SIMON: Public schools. When urban U.S. couples have kids, they often leave cities for suburbs, which they think have better schools. They kind of opt out of more sustainable urban living.
RASCOE: So, Julia, you have spent a lot of time thinking about 15-minute cities. How hopeful are you that the U.S. and other countries can actually achieve this?
SIMON: It can feel like 15-minute cities are just inevitable in a place like Europe because Europeans have never been as car crazy as Americans. And Levine says, no, Europeans loved cars after World War II. The difference is they decided to move away from cars.
LEVINE: The result that many Americans find desirable - wow, isn't it wonderful? We go to Europe, we can walk, we can take the bus - is a policy choice. It's not preordained.
SIMON: Seoul, Bogota, cities around the world have made policies to promote public transit and walking. We saw in the pandemic, cities can transform away from cars quickly. But Moreno says how fast comes down to communities and political will.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Julia Simon. Julia, thank you so much for your reporting.
SIMON: Thank you, Ayesha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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"Mji wa dakika 15 unaweza kupunguza ongezeko la joto duniani ikiwa utaweza kukabiliana na habari zisizo sahihi, ""alisema Aisha Rasko, mwenyeji wa kipindi cha wiki iliyopita, akina NPR wamepata habari kuhusu njia mbalimbali za kuchochea na za ubunifu za kukabiliana na mgogoro wa hali ya hewa, kuanzia meli za mizigo zinazotumia nishati ya upepo hadi wanawake wanaoishi kwenye milima ya Himalaya wanajifunza jinsi ya kuamsha maji ya chemchemi." Kwa mujibu wa taarifa ya gazeti la Climate Solutions, Julia Simon, mwandishi wa habari wa NPR, Karibu kwenye programu. JULIA SIMON, BYLINE: Halo, Ayesha. "Rascoe: ""Nimesikia kwamba una hadithi kuhusu suluhisho maalum la hali ya hewa ambalo limekuwa likisambaa kupitia miji kote ulimwenguni." Tunaanza wapi? "Mwanzoni, tulikuwa na ""mzazi"" ambaye alikuwa akifanya kazi katika eneo ambalo tulikuwa tukihamia, yaani, Paris." """Niko katika barabara yangu ya zamani ya Paris, njia ndogo ya mawe yenye mizabibu iliyofunika majengo." Kwa mfano, unaweza kutumia saa ya kusimama na kuona ni wapi unaweza kwenda kwa miguu katika dakika 15. Hebu twende. (Anakwambia Kifaransa). Katika dakika moja, nilifika (nikiwa nikisema Kifaransa), shule ya chekechea. Nilifika kwenye duka la vitabu kwa dakika tatu, kwenye duka la dawa kwa dakika nne, na kwenye duka la kuoka mikate kwa dakika tano hivi. Kwa hivyo, kwa sababu ya kuwa hapa, nilitaka tu kupata baguette wakati nilikuwa hapa. Je, wewe ni kidding mimi? Hifadhi nyingine? Yote katika 15 dakika kutembea. "Aisha anasema: ""Nilikuwa na uzoefu wa kuchora ramani ya suluhisho la hali ya hewa duniani, jiji la dakika 15." RASCOE: Basi hilo lamaanisha nini? Ni mji ambapo unaweza kupata vitu muhimu katika maisha yako katika dakika 15 kutembea, baiskeli au usafiri wa umma kutoka nyumbani kwako. Kwenye ukingo wa Seine huko Paris, nilikutana na mtu aliyekuwa nyuma ya wazo hilo. Carlos Moreno: (Anasema Kihispania) (Kuzungumza Kihispania) Carlos Moreno ni Mfaransa-Mkolombia. Yeye ni mtaalamu wa ujenzi wa majiji. Jiji hilo lilijengwa zaidi ya miaka 100 iliyopita na Moreno amekuwa akimsaidia meya wa Paris kuendeleza maeneo hayo. Jengo hilo limekuwa likijengwa kwa ajili ya majengo ya zamani ya kijeshi, na pia kuwa na majengo ya makazi, ofisi na biashara. Wanakua wakijenga bustani za magari, na maelfu ya maili ya barabara za baiskeli. "Rascoe: ""Hii ni suluhisho la hali ya hewa kwa sababu inapunguza magari?" Simon: Ndio. Magari ni karibu 10% ya uchafuzi wa kaboni dioksidi unaohusiana na nishati duniani. "Mureno alianzisha mradi wa ""miji ya dakika 15 ya ikolojia"" huko Paris, Ufaransa, na sasa anafanya kazi katika miji ya dakika 15 ya ikolojia kote ulimwenguni." "Justin Bieber: ""Niliona makala ya habari kuhusu jambo hili kubwa linaloundwa Paris karibu na mji wa dakika 15." Justin Bieber, Meya wa Cleveland B: Nilisoma juu ya hilo. Mimi ni kama, oh, dots ni kuunganisha kwa ajili yangu sasa. "Mwanamume huyo alisema: ""Nilikuwa nikifikiria kuhusu maisha yangu ya zamani ya kusoma nje ya nchi, nikiwa London, nikiwa na umri wa miaka kumi na sita, nikiwa na umri wa miaka kumi na sita, nikiwa na safari ya kwenda kwenye vyumba vya kulia chakula." "Biblia: ""Nilikuwa na mawazo juu ya utoto wangu." Nilikuwa naishi katika kitongoji cha 15 dakika kutoka mji. "Amesema, ""Nataka zaidi ya hii kwa Cleveland.""" Alipoingia ofisini mwaka jana, alianza kufanya kazi juu yake. RASCOE: Kwa hiyo yeye ni kuwekaje hii katika mahali? "Bibi-Jamie alisema: ""Kama ilivyo katika maeneo mengine ya Cleveland, kuna vituo vya umeme vya kutosha, lakini ni vigumu sana kupata vituo vya umeme." Huenda kukawa na mabasi, lakini hayatembei mara nyingi. Kwa hivyo, ni hatua ya kwanza ya kujenga miundombinu, usafiri wa umma, barabara, na barabara za baiskeli. "Aisha anasema: ""Kuna vikwazo kadhaa muhimu kwa miji ya dakika 15 na moja ni nadharia za njama." Katika kipindi cha miaka miwili iliyopita, katika eneo la West Oxfordshire, Uingereza, Mjumbe wa Halmashauri ya Kaunti ya Oxford, Duncan Enright, alitoa taarifa ya kuwasili kwa... "Mimi nimejaribu kuunda ""bus lanes"" na mwaka jana nilikuwa kwenye mkutano wa jamii na watu ambao sijui." "Duncan Enright: ""Kama mtu anafanya kazi kwa muda mrefu, ni muhimu sana kuwa na uzoefu wa muda mrefu katika kufanya kazi kwa muda mrefu." Na kwa uaminifu, mara ya kwanza nilikuwa nimesikia juu ya usemi huo. Simon: Ilikuwa na msisimko. Enright alienda juu. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""miji ya dakika 15"" inamaanisha kwamba unaweza kusafiri kwa dakika 15 kutoka nyumbani kwako." Kwa hiyo, ni nini hasa nadharia hii ya njama? "Mashtaka hayo ya uwongo ni kwamba ""kikundi cha wasomi wa kimataifa"" kitatumia ""miji ya dakika 15"" ili kupunguza harakati za watu na kuwafunga katika magereza ya wazi." Hapa ni Enright. """Niliwaeleza kwamba kazi yangu ni kuwezesha kusafiri kwa urahisi ili watu waweze kwenda popote wanapotaka kupata fursa, kazi, elimu, si kuwazuia watu kwenda zaidi ya dakika 15." "Kama vile tulivyoona hapo awali, ""bus lanes"" ni sehemu ya ""open-air prisons.""" Habari za uwongo kuhusu mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa zilikuwa zimezingatia kukataa ongezeko la joto duniani. "Mashambulizi ya sasa yanalenga suluhisho la hali ya hewa, mara nyingi wazo kwamba mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa ni ""hatua ya kuondoa uhuru wa kiraia wa watu.""" Mtangazaji wa podcast Joe Rogan "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika makala ya ""Joe Rogan: Uzoefu wa JOE Rogan"" (Joe Rogan: Uzoefu wa JOE) ""Utapata ruhusa ya kuondoka, ambayo ni... Mtu Asiyejulikana: Kwa kweli? Watatuwekaje huko ndani? """Hiyo ni wazo ambalo wameanza kulifanya Ulaya." "Mwanamke huyo, ambaye ni waziri wa usafiri wa Uingereza, alisema: ""Mimi ni mtu wa kwanza katika historia ya Uingereza kutumia lugha ya njama za dakika 15." Inakuwa jambo la kawaida. "Kama vile, ""Mashtaka ya Uhalifu"" ni nini, na ni nini kinachohusika katika kuunda miji ya dakika 15?" Enright na wenzake walianza kupokea vitisho vya kifo. Carlos Moreno alipokea vitisho vya kifo pia. Moreno anasema watafiti wengine na wanasayansi anaowajua wamekabiliwa na mashambulizi, ambayo huwafanya wasitake kuchapisha juu ya kazi yao juu ya suluhisho la hali ya hewa. Je, kuna vikwazo ambavyo ni vya kipekee kwa Marekani? "Mfano: ""Kupanga kwa ajili ya ujenzi wa nyumba za familia moja.""" Jonathan Levine, profesa wa mipango ya mijini katika Chuo Kikuu cha Michigan JONATHAN LEVINE: Je, ningesema kwamba ni tatizo? Ni kubwa sana. Eneo la familia moja linatawala kabisa ardhi ya makazi katika maeneo yetu yote ya mji mkuu. Levine anasema zoning ya familia moja inaonyesha sera za kutenganisha. Hii inasaidia kupunguza msongamano wa watu kwa sababu watu wengi hawawezi kukaa katika nyumba moja ikilinganishwa na nyumba moja. Kwa sababu ya eneo hilo, ni vigumu kuanzisha biashara ya rejareja, ambayo inafanya miji ya dakika 15 iwezekanavyo. RASCOE: Sawa. Ni nini kikwazo kikubwa cha 15 cha miji? Simoni: Shule za umma. Wakati wanandoa wa mijini wana watoto, mara nyingi wanaondoka miji kwenda vitongoji, ambao wanafikiri wana shule bora. Kwa hivyo, ni muhimu kuwa na chaguo la kuishi kwa njia ya mijini ya kudumu. "Julia, ""Nilikuwa na wasiwasi sana kuhusu jinsi ya kuamua kuwa na nyumba ya dakika 15." Je, una matumaini kwamba Marekani na nchi nyingine zinaweza kufikia lengo hilo? "Mimi naona kama ""miji ya dakika 15"" ni jambo la lazima katika nchi kama Ulaya kwa sababu Wazungu hawajawahi kuwa wazimu wa magari kama Wamarekani." "Lewin anasema: ""Wazungu walipenda magari baada ya Vita Kuu ya Pili." Tofauti ni kwamba waliamua kuachana na magari. LEVINE: Matokeo ambayo Wamarekani wengi hupata yatakayo - wow, si ni ya ajabu? Tunakwenda Ulaya, tunaweza kutembea, tunaweza kuchukua basi - ni chaguo la sera. Haijaamuliwa kimbele. Seoul, Bogota na miji mingine ya kimataifa pia imependekeza kuimarisha huduma za umma za usafiri wa umma. """Tuliona katika janga hili, miji inaweza kubadilika kutoka kwa magari haraka." Lakini Moreno anasema jinsi ya haraka inategemea jamii na mapenzi ya kisiasa. "Mwanamke huyo ni Julia Simon wa kituo cha redio cha NPR.""" Julia, asante sana kwa ripoti yako. """Nashukuru sana Ayesha." Transcription: NPR, Copyright: NPR NPR transcripts ni kuundwa juu ya haraka deadline na Mkataba NPR. Nakala hii inaweza kuwa si katika fomu yake ya mwisho na inaweza kusasishwa au kurekebishwa katika siku zijazo. Usahihi na upatikanaji inaweza kutofautiana. Rekodi ya mamlaka ya programu ya NPR ni rekodi ya sauti.