Is A 15-minute City within Reach in the United States? An Investigation of Activity-Based Mobility Flows in the 12 Most Populous US Cities

TL;DR

This study evaluates the feasibility of the 15-minute city concept in the 12 most populous US cities using activity-based mobility data, revealing current limitations and potential for reduced emissions through proximity planning.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive framework for assessing 15-minute city implementation in US cities using POI check-in data and mobility analysis.

Findings

Most residents' activities are beyond walking or cycling distances.

Significant potential exists for 15-minute city implementation.

Potential CO2 emission reductions if the concept is adopted.

Abstract

Enhanced efforts in the transportation sector should be implemented to mitigate the adverse effects of CO2 emissions resulting from zoning-based planning paradigms. The innovative concept of the 15-minute city, with a focus on proximity-based planning, holds promise in minimizing unnecessary travel and advancing the progress toward achieving carbon neutrality. However, an important research question that remains insufficiently explored is: to what extent is a 15-minute city concept within reach for US cities? This paper establishes a comprehensive framework to evaluate the 15-minute city concept using SafeGraph Point of Interest (POI) check-in data in the 12 most populous US cities. The results reveal that residents are more likely to rely on cars due to the fact that most of their essential activities are located beyond convenient walking, cycling, and public transit distances. However, there is significant potential for the implementation of the 15-minute city concept, as most residents' current activities can be accommodated within a 15-minute radius by the aforementioned low-emission modes of transportation. Our findings can offer policymakers insight into how far US cities are away from the 15-minute city and the potential CO2 emission reduction they can expect if the concept is successfully implemented.