Inclusive 15-minute cities: an age-sensitive assessment of active accessibility in the metropolitan area of Barcelona
Since the concept of sustainable mobility was introduced in the European Commission's Green Paper on the Impact of Transport on the Environment (1992), and following the challenges posed by the United Nations' Our Common Future (1987), there has been a growing global awareness of the urgen...
| Autores: | , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/430793 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/430793 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.106091 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | 15-minute city Active mobility Active accessibility Essential urban services Inclusivity Barcelona Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Urbanisme::Planejament urbà |
| Sumario: | Since the concept of sustainable mobility was introduced in the European Commission's Green Paper on the Impact of Transport on the Environment (1992), and following the challenges posed by the United Nations' Our Common Future (1987), there has been a growing global awareness of the urgent need to promote sustainable mobility. This urgency is reflected in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 11 (2015) and the European Commission's New EU Urban Mobility Framework (2021). A major objective in urban contexts is reducing car use in favor of active mobility due to its numerous environmental, social and health benefits. This research examines the “15-minute city” concept in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB), an urban model that aims to ensure that essential daily services are reachable within a 15-minute walk. The analysis focuses on the spatial configuration of service accessibility from an age-sensitive perspective, defining particular walking speeds for four different age groups (i.e., children, youngsters, adults and elderly) and considering age-specific patterns of use depending on the service category. Findings reveal that while an 81 % of the overall metropolitan population—62 % of urban blocks—can access all ten analyzed service categories, only 42 % of the elderly population meet this criterion. To provide a more nuanced assessment, an accessibility quality index is developed, incorporating the number of accessible services within a 15-minute walk. Despite a high overall metropolitan score, significant age-related disparities exist, particularly in education and green spaces accessibility. Services with minimal age differences, such as food, retail, and public transport, scored highest in accessibility. Therefore, the study concludes that prioritizing the needs of the elderly population can enhance inclusivity for all residents. This research contributes to the enhancement of composite indices for evaluating urban proximity patterns which provide a guiding tool for urban planning strategies and policy-making. |
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