Quezon City becomes the first local government unit to explore an innovative 15-minute city concept in building a livable, green, and sustainable community for Qcitizens.
“When we went to Paris (France) for the Plastic Treaty Forum, we were amazed by their 15-minute city sites as all the basic services for the people are within their reach. We want to replicate this setup here in Quezon City to make urban development people-centered and to further improve the quality of life of every QCitizen,» Mayor Joy Belmonte said.
The 15-minute city introduced by Sorbonne University professor Carlos Moreno is an urban model that ensures all essential services, such as healthcare, job opportunities, parks and open spaces, and education, are accessible to residents within a short walk or bike ride from their houses, Belmonte said.
It decentralizes the traditional city life services and brings them down to communities, thus boosting the local economy, cutting down car emissions, promoting urban biodiversity and inclusivity, and providing people with easy access to healthy food options and quality green spaces, she added.
To know more about the 15-minute city and the benefits it can do for the locality, Belmonte has tapped a pool of researchers from various departments to study the model — the Office of the City Administrator, Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department, City Planning and Development Department, City Architect Department, Parks Development and Administration Department, Transport and Traffic Management Department, and Barangay and Community Relations Department.
She said the city has also started mapping villages through the centralized geographic information system to visualize their geographic data and determine what basic services are most needed in each community.
After the study and planning process, Quezon City will be the first city in the Philippines to adopt the concept that pushes for a walkable, sustainable and people-friendly urban design, the city mayor noted.
“People›s participation plays a big role in the realization of the 15-minute city concept. Every effort from the residents, private sector and other government agencies is vital toward our vision of building a livable, sustainable and climate-resilient city,” she stressed.
After the study, the city government would engage with QCitizens to collect data and identify the core elements that their community needs.
Apart from making services accessible to residents, the 15-minute city strategy is also a way of conserving and protecting the environment in support of the city›s goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
