Note: This photo essay is adapted from a Twitter thread.
What is the 15-minute city? It’s every city ever built by humans on this planet until a century ago, but with a catchy new name. And if the old parts haven’t been destroyed in the last century, it’s where the tourists go. And people travel across oceans to see the best of them.
Forty years ago, a few pioneers decided to start building 15-minute cities again. Actually, they built 5-minute cities because they didn’t think people would walk 15 minutes. This is Seaside, Florida where it all began. Time magazine called it “the little town that changed the world.”
The term “15-Minute City” is much newer; Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo laid out the 15-Minute City idea in her 2020 re-election campaign. It was a sticky term, and has spread around the world since then. People who understand it realize it’s much like the most-loved…