Co-creating Spatial Strategies for Just and Sustainable Mobility in Large-Scale Housing Estates
6
Countries
17
Partners
36
Months
1.68
Million EUR
defining the ways to implement the 15-minute City concept in large-scale residential areas
we are
Multi country
Project brings together 17 partners from Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland
Project aim
We aim to contribute to addressing urban mobility challenges in transitioning toward climate neutrality and more sustainable functioning of our cities
five case studies
Case study areas in five different countries with both similar traits and unique challenges used for reaserch data collection and co-creation activities
About project
About 15minESTATES
CHALLENGES
Through putting forward an extensive set reaserch activities, we are moving towards a state-of-the-art base of knowledge and expertise on what can be achieved in LHEs using 15minCity concept so that their inhabitants get a living place that facilitates inclusivity, openness and better quality of life.
OBJECTIVES
Across Europe, residential areas and especially Large-Scale Housing Estates (LHEs) requires a transformation for facilitating sustainable mobility. By exploring and comparing the mobility needs, perceptions and behaviors of different user groups, the project will identify specific sustainable mobility challenges in these residential areas.
RESEARCH APPROACH
We propose to critically assess the nexus of three dimensions – urban space, transport options, and people, their values, needs, resources, and capacities. These three dimensions together produce mobility behavior and are integral for designing interventions and strategies.
Moreover, following recent advancements in transport research, we incorporate an overarching justice perspective in our project since a lack of adequate transport resources and spatial accessibility can have significant negative economic and social consequences.
OUTPUT
The results of the case studies will be used to propose design principles and approaches for transforming public spaces in LHEs, thus enabling transferability of results to other countries.
the CHALLENGE
Challanges
The transition towards sustainability requires changes in almost every aspect of our lives. The transport system is one of the areas where major change still needs to happen. Sustainable mobility intends to reduce the need to travel (particularly by car), encourage greater use of public transport, walking, and cycling, improve transportation accessibility, and reduce travel distances. The key here is to provide quality, with easy access to local services and facilities, so that people do not need to travel long distances. The contemporary 15-minute city concept advocates that residents will be able to enjoy a higher quality of life in which they can effectively fulfill the essential social functions of the city. In European cities, large housing estates form vast built-up areas where a large part of the urban population lives - and in Eastern and Northern Europe, often even the majority. These mass housing districts were initially planned to provide residents with everything they needed for everyday life within easy reach on foot. However, the location of these districts in the city (often on the outskirts ), their insufficient provision of convenient and efficient public transport, the limited variety and quality of local infrastructure, the gradual loss of local facilities due to viability challenges, as well as the residents' wide choice of options for ensuring their daily needs have created a situation where the original idea of LHEs is increasingly failing.
Adapting and reframing the 15-minute City concept for the specific context of LHEs
Building a comprehensive knowledge base on the existing urban structures, public spaces, their quality, amenities, and transport infrastructure in LHEs
Exploring the mobility needs, perceptions, and behavior of different user groups in LHEs
Identifying specific challenges and co-create spatial strategies and interventions in public spaces to facilitate the transition toward sustainable mobility in LHEs
Synthesizing case-specific results, proposing design principles and approaches for transforming public spaces in LHEs to enable results' transferability to other countries
Conceptual - analytical - co-creative
approach
The conceptual part of the project deals with reframing the 15mC concept for LHEs. It will combine the existing theoretical concepts with a comparative analysis of the selected case studies to develop a workable and operationalizable model of the 15mC for LHEs.
The analytical part foresees extensive data collection and analysis of five case studies from different European countries: Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, the Netherlands, and Latvia, in cooperation with local urban authorities. It will allow for building empirical knowledge and integrated data on urban mobility, connectivity, and user needs in LHEs. Furthermore, the comparative analysis will allow distinguishing the general findings from the context-specific elements.
Finally, the co-creative part aims to co-produce locally adapted spatial strategies and interventions to facilitate transitions toward sustainable mobility in cooperation with local stakeholders. It will allow us to suggest realistic solutions for reorganizing public spaces in LHEs in line with the needs of different user groups.
Main goal
OUTPUTS
Scientific publications
Local workshops and seminars
Factsheets for local public
Case studies
DELFT - BUDAPEST - SOFIA -RIGA - HALLE
Across Europe, residential areas such as Large-Scale Housing Estates (LHEs) need to be transformed for facilitating sustainable mobility. The 15minESTATES project adapts and reframes the 15-minute City concept for the specific context of LHEs.
This year’s conference aims to reflect on regional research trends in architectural history and theory, urban planning and landscape planning. Participants will look at the most current topics, which may...
Professor Sandra Treija (Riga Technical University, Latvia) and researcher professor Thomas Verbeek (Delft University of Technology, Netherlands) presented the project to the participants of the AESOP congress in Paris and...
Where is your favourite place to go for a walk or to meet friends? Which routes and places do you avoid?
With these and other questions, the 15minESTATES project („Co-creating Spatial Strategies for Just and Sustainable Mobility in Large-Scale Housing Estates“) started its field phase. Over the next three years, the project team aims to investigate what requirements and strategies are needed to implement the 15-minute city concept in large housing estates.
As part of a neighborhood event in Halle-Neustadt, there was a district walk where residents shared their views of the area. The walk was also used to conduct initial experiments to collect geodata using OpenStreetMap tools. At the joint picnic afterwards, the participants marked their favourite places on a map and also explained where there is still room for improvement in Halle-Neustadt. Using the so-called ‘flower of proximity’, participants were able to visualise which supply facilities or services they would like to have in their immediate residential environment and for which a greater distance would be acceptable.
The City of Halle (Saale) with its large housing estate Neustadt is the German case study in the 15minESTATES project; which is part of #DUTPartnership. It is also analysing large housing estates in Latvia, Bulgaria, Hungary and the Netherlands. Halle-Neustadt serves as a pilot area. Different formats for the organisation and implementation of co-creative approaches and participation formats are used here. The experience gained by the project team will be used to support the partners in the other case study areas.
On July the 15minESTATES project leader professor Sandra Treija (Riga Technical University, Latvia) and researcher professor Thomas Verbeek (Delft University of Technology, Netherlands) was visiting Paris to present the project to the participants of the AESOP congress and give presentation Understanding Mobility Behaviour in Large Housing Estates: A Critical Application of the 15-minute City Concept.
The presentation outlined present challenges of large scale estates and introduced the goals and objectives of the project.
On June 17 and 18, 2024, the participants of the project 15minESTATES gathered at the Institute of Architecture and Design of the Riga Technical University (RTU) to evaluate the work done in the first six months of the project and solve the identified challenges.
Project partners created a lively discussion about the theoretical settings of the 15-minute adaptation of the concept to the specifics of oversized residential areas.
We aim to share the scientific knowledge and experience gained with both governmental bodies and LHEs inhabitants to improve the quality of life in LHEs across Europe and beyond. Therefore we have 17 partners involved in this project including universities, scientific institutions, municipalities and NGOs.
