THE IDEA OF a 15-minute city might seem uncontroversial, but the urban planning concept has been getting some serious heat in certain quarters in recent months. 

Five people were arrested in Oxford last week during a protest against a plan stemming from the idea, while Tory MP Nick Fletcher also claimed in the House of Commons recently that the “socialist” idea would reduce personal freedoms.

As Stephen McDermott wrote in his recent article on this site about what’s been going on:

So this week on The Explainer, we look at what a 15-minute city is, where the concept originated, and how it has become so controversial. Camilla Siggaard Andersen, an architect, researcher and strategist based in London, explains all about 15-minute cities and the benefits they are supposed to have.

Then Stephen McDermott talks us through some of the controversy around the idea of these cities, and how that has been manifesting in action online and off.

https://soundcloud.com/the-explainer-podcast/what-are-15-minute-cities-and-why-do-some-people-think-theyre-controversial/s-HIInlwF3qD6?si=08c16484021c400490c8f9bb04452880&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

This episode was put together by presenter Laura Byrne, producers Aoife Barry and Nicky Ryan and executive producer Sinéad O’Carroll.