20-minute neighbourhoods

20-minute neighbourhoods give people the ability to meet most of their daily needs within a 20-minute walk from home, via safe options for walking and cycling. The City of Moonee Valley has placed 20-minute neighbourhoods at the core of their planning process – Yarra can too.

Key component of Plan Melbourne

20-minute neighbourhoods are a principle of Plan Melbourne 2017-2050, managed by the Victoria State Government Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning.

Importance

Neighbourhoods are highlighted in Plan Melbourne because they are critical in supporting health and wellbeing.

Distances

People can walk 2 km in 20 minutes, or cycle 5 km in 20 minutes.

Features

Plan Melbourne states that a 20-minute neighbourhood must:

• be safe, accessible and well connected for pedestrians and cyclists to optimise active transport,
• offer high-quality public realm and open space,
• provide services and destinations that support local living,
• facilitate access to quality public transport that connects people to jobs and higher-order services,
• deliver housing/population at densities that make local services and transport viable, and
• facilitate thriving local economies.

Pilot program

The Victoria State Government Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning operated a pilot program with three Councils. Victoria Walks was a partner in the 20-Minute Neighbourhood Pilot Program, and worked to identify the key walking routes in each neighbourhood. Victoria Walks then audited the walkability of those routes, detailing the problems and made recommendations for action. Streets Alive Yarra supports the 13 recommendations of the report, especially recommendation 7, relating to scaling up the program and delivering ongoing funding. State Government should offer all Local Government Councils (including Yarra) dollar-for-dollar funding for all projects relating to 20-minute neighbourhoods and Local Area Place Making.

Guidance from Paris

The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hildago, is proposing to turn the French capital into a myriad of neighborhoods where “you can find everything you need within 15 minutes from home.”

Image credit: Anne Hildago

Guidance from Strong Towns

Strong Towns has published a guide to creating 15-minute neighbourhoods, which is the USA version of our 20-minute neighbourhoods.

What Yarra can do

Even without State Government support, Yarra can deliver 20-minute neighbourhoods by increasing the budget for walking, biking, and place making to $10 million per year.