Other cities around the world have set even more ambitious targets with Copenhagen aiming to become a five-minute city, and Melbourne opting for 10.
鈥淎ccessible, liveable cities bring significant public health benefits,鈥 Dr Logan says. 鈥淲hen more people can bike, walk or take public transport to their destination, pollution from cars is reduced and there are benefits for people鈥檚 physical and mental health.鈥
Accessible cities are also safer and more appealing because there are more people around, Dr Logan says. Residents are more likely to go out with friends when restaurants and bars are closer to where they live, bringing economic benefits for businesses.
He says local councils can make decisions that contribute to the 15-minute city target. 鈥淓ach city council has a role to play in terms of how they zone land, where they allow housing developments, and, where they allow supermarkets to be built. Suppliers need to be encouraged to build in a way that enables better access.鈥
Other organisations such as K膩inga Ora Homes and Communities, the Crown Agency which provides rental housing, and Te Manat奴 Waka Ministry of Transport, can also feed into planning more liveable, accessible neighbourhoods.
However, Dr Logan says many people are opposed to higher density housing and in September the Christchurch City Council voted against implementing the Government鈥檚 intensification policy for main centres.
鈥淚t seems to be a scary topic for a lot of New Zealanders and we鈥檙e seeing push back from local residents鈥 associations. But a lot of that is because of density that鈥檚 been done badly.
鈥淒ensity when it鈥檚 done right, which we see in parts of Europe, the United States and Asia, is where it can lead to safer and healthier residents and cohesive and vibrant neighbourhoods.
鈥淐reating that is one of our big challenges. Not everyone has to live in this way but it鈥檚 about giving people the option, so they can live somewhere where they don鈥檛 have to drive all the time.鈥
He says this is essential if we鈥檙e to achieve New Zealand鈥檚听听target of a 20 per cent decrease in car travel in cities by 2035 to help mitigate climate change.听
Dr Logan led a research team that evaluated 500 cities in the United States and New Zealand鈥檚听. They found that Wellington ranked the highest for accessibility (with 61 per cent of residents living within 15 minutes鈥 walk of amenities) while Christchurch was 18th听in the country (with 39 per cent of residents living in the 15-minute zone).
鈥淭here is a lot of car dependency in Christchurch,鈥 he says. 鈥淓fficient public transport is important to bridge those gaps. But I think cities need to be designed around active transport with public transport supporting that.
鈥淭he key thing is mixed use development where you have not just residential areas but small shops, cafes and other businesses as well. That鈥檚 part of what鈥檚 now being recognised as best practice urbanism in terms of how you use the streets and spaces. Having that mix means you鈥檙e using areas more effectively, people can work and live there so there鈥檚 always people around which increases safety and vibrancy.鈥
Dr Logan will travel to Barcelona, Spain in November to present research at the 2022 Urban Transitions 2022 conference.
鈥淏arcelona is one of the leaders in the liveable cities space so it will be a great experience and opportunity to bring best-practice back to New Zealand,鈥 he says.
