The 15-minute city: Reimagining Urban life

The 15-minute city is an urban planning concept popularized by Sorbonne University professor Carlos Moreno, which envisions neighborhoods where essential services such as healthcare, job opportunities, parks, open spaces and education are accessible to residents within a short walk or bike ride from their homes. 

Rather than requiring long commutes, the model places daily needs — food, education, healthcare, work, recreation and public spaces — within convenient reach of where people live.

The concept has been gaining real traction across the country, driven by both quality-of-life concerns and economic pressures.

Quezon City was the first local government to formally explore the model. In 2023, the city announced plans to study and pilot the concept at the barangay level, aiming to build a livable, green and sustainable community for its residents. 

City officials cited Paris’ 15-minute city districts as inspiration, and framed the approach as a way to make urban development people-centered while improving quality of life. The initiative also ties into the city’s goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.

Private developers have followed suit. Filinvest City has been cited as an example of the model in action, combining residential, commercial and institutional spaces within walkable districts to reduce reliance on daily commuting, supported by electric vehicle shuttles, charging stations, bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. 

Similarly, SM’s MyTown development in Pasay demonstrates the idea in practice — residents there are largely able to reach their offices or nearby malls within 15 minutes, a setup that fits into SM’s broader push toward what it calls an “Integrated Lifestyle City,” seen in projects like Mall of Asia and SM Clark. Federal Land has also promoted the framework, describing it as a city where access to all essential services should take no more than a quarter of an hour.

Other large-scale developments, including Bonifacio Global City and New Clark City, are frequently pointed to as examples of mixed-use, connected, and pedestrian-oriented planning, even though they weren’t originally designed around the 15-minute framework specifically.

What Filipinos actually want

Public opinion research backs up the push. A study by urban planner Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo surveyed 420 Metro Manila residents across inner-city districts, informal settlements, and outer suburbs, and found 82 percent preferred to meet their daily needs within their immediate community. Support cut across age groups, with 91 percent of young adults and 87 percent of older residents expressing strong approval for the concept. Notably, the same study found a gap between preference and practice: 76 percent of respondents still traveled farther than necessary because they felt their own neighborhoods lacked adequate options. When asked what mattered most, 92 percent named groceries, clinics and schools as the services most essential to their quality of life.

A related feasibility study concluded that transforming Metro Manila into a network of self-contained 15-minute neighborhoods is achievable, though it noted that converting each existing neighborhood could take at least eight years, given high project costs, fragmented governance and a deeply embedded preference for private vehicles. The plan it outlined moves in phases — starting with pilot projects and zoning adjustments, then expanding public transit, and eventually working toward climate-resilient infrastructure and smart mobility systems.

Measuring progress: The academic angle

Beyond advocacy and public sentiment, researchers have begun quantifying how close Philippine cities actually are to the ideal. 

A study on Pasig City developed a “15-minute city index” that measures accessibility across six social functions: living, working, supplying, caring, learning, and enjoying, using walkability scores adjusted for different age groups’ walking speeds. 

The research grounds itself in the idea that quality of life is linked to residents’ ability to reach essential urban functions within a 15-minute window, offering a replicable model that could be applied to other Philippine cities.

Why the urgency now

Rising fuel costs have added new weight to the conversation. As oil prices climbed, urban planners renewed calls for more compact, walkable design, arguing that current “car-centric” policies strain households in an import-dependent economy like the Philippines. Advocates argue that proximity-based planning isn’t just about convenience — it’s a hedge against the price volatility that comes with heavy reliance on fuel and long-distance commuting. 

The model’s relevance was also underscored during the pandemic, when communities with access to nearby services experienced fewer disruptions despite mobility restrictions.

The Philippine context poses distinctive complications. Unlike cities built primarily around walking or transit, Philippine urban mobility depends heavily on a mix of jeepneys, tricycles, buses and rail, meaning any local version of the 15-minute city has to integrate these modes rather than replace them outright. 

Researchers also emphasize that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work: customized strategies for inner cities, outer suburbs, and informal settlements are seen as critical to reducing commute times and fostering more community-oriented lifestyles. 

For many architects and planners, the more realistic goal is not hitting a literal 15-minute threshold everywhere, but rather building practical accessibility into everyday