There's a lot of talk about 20-minute neighbourhoods in the UK right now. But what are they, and why are they so important for making safer, healthier places to live? Here's everything you need to know.
Our goal for cities and towns is for them to be places that connect us to each other and what we need.
Places where everyone can thrive without having to use a car.
Centred around boosting quality of life for everyone.
We think that the best way to do this is to ensure that it is easy for people to meet most of their everyday needs by a short, convenient and pleasant 20-minute return walk.
10 minutes there, and 10 minutes back.
What is a 20-minute neighbourhood?
Neighbourhoods are defined by the communities who live there and each will have unique expectations of the services and facilities they need.
This will also vary depending on the wider area, including topography and landscape, population density, economic status and location within the UK.
An important objective of the 20-minute neighbourhood concept is to better align spatial and urban planning (i.e. what is in an area) with transport planning (transport infrastructure), to make it easier for people to walk, cycle and use public transport.
Both approaches should be underpinned by ensuring 20-minute neighbourhoods and 15-minute cities are designed to be inclusive and equitable.
In some cases services and amenities may be shared between neighbourhoods, depending on the density of the area.
One destination may be meeting the needs of a wide range of local communities.
This is especially the case in smaller towns and villages where amenities will not be as concentrated as a city.
20-minute neighbourhoods may be difficult to implement in extremely rural villages and public transport options between these villages will be essential.
What needs to be in a 20-minute neighbourhood?
We consider the following to be the minimum features of a 20-minute neighbourhood.
Destination and services
- Food retailers and supermarkets
- Education, including early years, primary school and nearby secondary schools
- Health services, such as a pharmacy, GP and dentist
- Financial services, such as post office or bank
- Employment and jobs either within the neighbourhood or nearby
- Public open space, such as parks and recreation grounds
- Entertainment, such as leisure, culture and entertainment facilities.
Transport provision
- Public transport, including access to a regular bus, tram or train service
- Walking and cycling infrastructure
- Walkable access to a local centre
- Designed for low speeds, reduced traffic, and limited car parking.
Inclusivity
- A mix of diverse housing types to suit different life-stages
- Genuinely affordable and social housing present.
Research shows that people are generally happy to walk for 20 minutes to get to and from the places they need to go.
Why 20 minutes?
People make fewer journeys on foot than they used to because the distances to the things they need have become longer and less accessible.
Too many neighbourhoods have been planned around car travel at the expense of providing the local jobs and services that a community needs to thrive.
Many people are reliant on driving just for a pint of milk, and those without access to a vehicle are left isolated with poor access to everyday items and services.
Car-dominated spaces create congestion and damage our environment and health.
They harm people who are already disadvantaged the most.
By making sure that neighbourhoods are compact and contain a mix of different shops, services and amenities, we can make it fundamentally easier for more people to walk.
Research shows that people are generally happy to walk for 20 minutes to get to and from the places they need to go.
80% of journeys under a mile are made on foot, which usually equates to around a 20-minute walk.
In such a neighbourhood, the 20-minute walking trip could be cycled in around 7 minutes.
And it would be encouraged by introducing protected cycling infrastructure, low-traffic neighbourhoods where through traffic is limited, and direct routes to key locations.
We also need to enable longer sustainable journeys to places outside of the neighbourhood and to support those who could find it challenging to make a trip on foot or by cycle.
Frequent, direct public transport would provide direct access to the places they need to go.
Eddington is a new development on the outskirts of Cambridge which has embraced many of the elements of a 20-minute neighbourhood
Are 20-minute neighbourhoods for everyone?
We need to ensure that 20-minute neighbourhoods are accessible to everyone and that they don’t inadvertently increase inequity.
We have to consider the affordability and diversity of housing available and the suitability of the neighbourhood for people at different life stages.
Genuinely affordable housing should always be present, and we should be considering the services and destinations that all people require.
A 20-minute neighbourhood approach should help to disperse investment, jobs and services more widely across a town or city rather than just focusing on the centre.
This would help to create local jobs and services. And should prioritise areas that are currently poorly served or connected.
Furthermore, some people walk more slowly than others, find it difficult to make longer walking trips, or find it more challenging to walk on steeper gradients.
36%
The number of women who do not cycle but would like to give it a go
80%
The number of journeys under a mile that are made on foot
Walking should be the most equal and inclusive form of travel but is too often overlooked by politicians, transport planners, developers and businesses.
Reduced traffic, safer space for cycling and direct public transport links located close to housing means more diverse, safe transport options available.
And these are things that many people feel are lacking where they currently live.
For example, in cities and towns across the UK, 38% of people at risk of deprivation.
36% of women and 31% of disabled people who do not cycle would also like to give it a go, but we are not doing enough to address their needs.
In a 20-minute neighbourhood, it will be possible to make driving trips.
But these will not be as direct as walking, cycling or public transport journeys, which will have dedicated access routes.
Less traffic will mean safer environments for people and enable children to become more independent.
Pictured is Gordon, Bristol Walking Alliance and Co-Chair Bristol Disability Equality Forum. Photo: Jon Bewley
What is Sustrans doing to help deliver 20-minute neighbourhoods?
The planning system has been failing to create vibrant, sustainable neighbourhoods.
And too many new developments are designed in ways that lock people into car dependency.
100 authorities in England (outside London) were asked whether they consider distances to services and amenities when making these decisions.
We found that whilst many do, proximity is not used consistently.
Even when services are far away, this is unlikely to be used as a sole reason for rejecting a potential development site.
So we’ve made some recommendations for the UK Government and local planning authorities in England, to help ensure that future new developments are better located and don’t lock in car-dependency.
In Scotland, the Government has included 20-minute neighbourhoods within its current Programme for Government.
Read about our research and recommendations on designing out car-dependency in new developments.
Take a look at our Streets for everyone videos. Local residents and business owners tell us what they think about the changes in their area making it easier to walk and cycle.
