Exploring the impact of increasing accessibility by proximity on leisure social diversity: An Agent-based model approach to 15-minute cities.

Abstract

One proposal to increase accessibility is the 15-minute city; the goal of this concept is to create a city where all daily necessities are covered in a 15 minute walk or bike ride from home. This design could lead to a reduction in the importance of city centers, which are an essential place of interaction for people of different social groups. Using an Agent-Based model and Zurich as a case study, we analyze what effects an increase in accessibility, as proposed by the 15-minute city, would have on the social diversity of leisure activities. Two conclusions can be drawn. First, the reorganization of venues has a minor effect on distance traveled; second, due to the low impact on transport behavior, we found that this approach would only have a limited effect on diversity of origins, and no effect on age or income diversity in leisure activities.