BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) – China will upgrade the “15-minute community life circles” to provide easier access to essential services for urban residents, according to a notice released jointly by the commerce ministry and eight other government departments on Friday.
By 2030, the government plans to create 10,000 convenient “life circles,” ensuring residents can access community services, including childcare and elderly care, cultural and sports facilities, and healthcare centers, within a 15-minute walk from their homes.
Over the next five years, 100 pilot cities will be selected to expand the coverage of these “life circles,” targeting both central urban districts and eligible counties, according to the notice.
Priority will be given to ensuring the supply of essential services, including breakfast outlets, wet markets and repair services. Elderly care will be mandatory in such communities, and there will be more public childcare facilities.
Efforts will also focus on promoting a diverse mix of businesses such as specialty restaurants, news-style bookstores and pet shops, and encouraging the sharing economy through initiatives like shared living rooms, study spaces and toolboxes, the notice stated.
The government will strengthen policy support by providing at least 30 square meters of community service facilities per 100 households. Essential stores will be integrated into emergency supply systems, while smart parcel lockers and express delivery terminals will be included into public service infrastructure planning.
Localities are encouraged to support low-profit and public-interest businesses such as community canteens and small repair shops through ways like rent reductions. Financial subsidies will also go to the renovation of community commercial centers and wet markets, according to the notice.
China built a total of 4,335 “15-minute community life circles” by 2024, benefiting 107 million people, according to official data released earlier this year.
I never heard of “15 minute cities” before this became a talking point in the Anglophone media. When i was growing up in a formerly socialist country we just called it a normal city.
It was normal to have everything you need on a daily basis within 10-20 min walking distance: your grocery market, your pharmacy, your doctor, your barber, your electronics repair shop, your clothing store, your kindergarten, your playground, your park, your public transportation…
Okay, for secondary education you might have to take the bus or the tram a few blocks down the street to your school, and also if you were going to the city government offices for some bureaucratic paperwork. Maybe if you were going to buy something more specialized like appliances or furniture you may have to go a bit further if you didn’t have those shops in your neighborhood. And of course many people would commute to work using public transportation.
But especially for kids and elderly people, they would essentially never leave their neighborhood except when going on vacation or visiting relatives. This was just considered common sense for urban planning.
Right!?
Literally, this is r/FuckCars’s dream. (and mine too)
Count me in!
Same.
Meanwhile I live in a moderate income neighborhood with open sewers, garbage on the streets and no pavement.
Ah, the efficiency of the free market.
Reminds me of my childhood. My neighborhood was exactly like this.
Adding that there was an unoccupied terrain next to the building I lived, where people throwed trash. Because of this, every time you could see big rats running around, especially on the evenings.
They do that here rurally, too. But snakes, feral cats, birds of prey and rats tends to balance out. Was a bit sad to see the barred owl dead in the street, probably from having a collision with some sort of motor vehicle. Maybe another will move into the neighborhood soon.
China is literally restricting people from leaving the 15 minute radius of their home… actually 1984 /s
Fucking commies, what about the people who don’t want to live 15min from ANYONE! Disgusting. Imagine living in a society! Couldn’t be me. /s
Iono, living rural is nice, until I need something. But watching nature is it’s own kind of meditation, even the kills.
This is amazing!
I’ve only heard some counter-arguments to 15-minute cities saying that the people there don’t end up being able to buy from the businesses close by. Have you heard of something similar? Specifically from a Spanish-speaking YT DiegoRuzzarin.
I personally think it’s great to have 15-minute cities but I wanted to know your opinion on any counter-arguments to them.
NotJustBikes on YT is a (lib) channel in favor of 15-minute cities and urbanism in general.
ave you heard of something similar?
I have heard counter arguments against 15 minute cities but they are usually produced by right wing grifters and pro-oil/pro-car lobbying groups. Not sure what DiegoRuzzarin’s opinion is regarding this topic but 15-minute cities are actually good for society in every aspect.
Regarding NotJustBikes, he is just one of many youtubers that have shared plenty of arguments in favor of 15 minute cities. If you are interested in this topic in a more detailed way, then I can recommend you this book:
It is also in spanish:
DiegoRuzzarin is one of the biggest socialist content creators in South America, so I’m always surprised when I hear him opposing 15-minute cities, but I personally love the concept. He quotes some anthropology study when he does, but I always forget the author and title.
Thank you for the book recommendations!
Edit: one ofthe biggest -> one of the biggest
Based off your earlier comment mentioning something about local residents unable to buy from businesses nearby, which I’m guessing to be because they’re too expensive, it sounds to me more like a problem with private development/gentrification than a problem with the concept of 15-minute cities itself.
Yeah, honestly I can’t find the video where he mentions the citation. I only found this horrible take on 15 minute cities he uploaded 2 years ago:
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Meanwhile people in the west keep cancelling these projects to preserve their car-brained ego.
Not only that but they even do hellish nonsense like this:
What the hell!?
Wtf
