From the Neighborhood Unit to the 15-Minute City: past and recent models for the post-Covid cities

This article critically discusses the 15-Minute City model through a review of proximity-based concepts and theories developed in the 20th century, proposed here under the umbrella term of the Proximity City, thus tracing its historical trajectory from Perry’s Neighborhood Unit to Calthorpe’s Transit-Oriented Development up to more recent time-based models such as the One-Minute City. Furthermore, it scrutinizes the limits and potential of this model against four main challenges highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, namely self-sufficiency, social cohesion and inclusiveness, environmental sustainability and climate-responsiveness, and resilience to future health crises. In conclusion, it provides recommendations to inform future research and practice aimed at creating eco-social urban systems for post-Covid future cities.