From the 15-minute city to the 30-minute countryside

Most German citizens would probably be willing to change their behaviour if it benefited the environment and the climate. But old structures often get in the way of the willingness to change. In many places, errands in the shopping centre are therefore still most conveniently done by car, even if this type of supply means an immense effort overall.

Shopping on foot or going to primary school - the concept of the "15-minute city" formulates the idea of a decentralised supply of goods and services. What is often everyday life for residents in cities is anything but a matter of course for people in rural areas. In addition to the concept of the 15-minute city, the scientists of the Institute for Regional and Urban Development Research, Prof. Dr. Stefan Siedentop and Christian Gerten, therefore put forward the vision of a "30-minute country".

Both researchers analysed for North Rhine-Westphalia who can reach a primary school, a retail shop, a grocery shop and a pharmacy within 15 minutes on foot. "The 15-minute city is a lived reality for people in many cities. This applies to about one third of the people in NRW," Christian Gerten summarises. "On the other hand, those who live in suburbs or in the countryside have to put up with longer walking distances or switch to cycling or the car," says Gerten. In some regions, this leads to great car dependency, which runs counter to the goals of the mobility turnaround and kilma protection.

"Through the extensive expansion of public transport, relevant services should in future be accessible to all people in NRW with a travel time of no more than 30 minutes," Stefan Siedentop explains the idea of the 30-minute state. The data analysis shows that this is currently true for about 88 percent of the people in NRW. "Local transport is better than its reputation, yet our findings show that twelve percent of people rely on using a car."

The two scientists have prepared their results for ILS-IMPULSE: www.ils-forschung.de/files_publikationen/pdfs/ils-impulse_03-23.pdf. "An effective change in mobility is not only decided in Cologne, Düsseldorf or Essen. Where distances on foot or by bike are too far, reliable alternatives to the private car should be provided," say the scientists.

(Photo: © Open Pics, Pixabay)