The roundtable explored the planning paradigms shaping large housing estates (LHEs) across Europe in the context of the ongoing sustainability transition. Particular attention was given to the role of public space in supporting proximity, active mobility, and reduced car dependency—key principles underpinning the 15-minute city concept.

Large housing estates have followed diverse development trajectories across Europe and today operate within different planning, governance, and socio-economic contexts. These varying conditions influence both the opportunities and the challenges that LHEs face in contributing to sustainable urban transformation. Building on the collaborative work of the 15minESTATES project, which aims to adapt and operationalise the 15-minute city concept for large housing estates, the roundtable brought together researchers and practitioners from across Europe to exchange experiences, discuss context-specific planning challenges, and identify future directions for research and practice.

The invited speakers presented case studies illustrating the diversity of planning contexts and transformation processes across Europe. Stefanie Rößler (IOER) examined the implications of population decline for large housing estates in Halle. Melinda Benkő (BME) discussed the relationship between public and private spaces in Budapest, while Milena Tasheva-Petrova (UACEG) addressed the challenge of shrinking public spaces in Sofia. Sandra Treija (RTU) reflected on the limited steering capacity affecting the transformation of large housing estates in Riga, and Thomas Verbeek (TU Delft) explored the impacts of demographic change and increasing hyperdiversity in Delft. Concluding the session, Florian Faurisson (EGIS) presented examples from France, highlighting strategies and practical approaches that can support the sustainable transformation of large housing estates.

The discussion demonstrated that, while large housing estates face different challenges across Europe, they also share common opportunities to become more resilient, accessible, and liveable neighbourhoods. The exchange of experiences reinforced the importance of international collaboration in developing planning approaches that respond to local contexts while advancing broader sustainability goals.

As we enter the final year of the project, our main focus is bringing together the insights and conclusions from the data-gathering phase across all case study areas. Over these three days, our international teams will collaborate closely to shape universal pathways for creating 15-minute large housing estates — making neighborhoods more connected, accessible, and livable for everyone.

The consortium meeting in Halle focused on the expected results of the project and in-depth discussions on how to effectively transfer the information and knowledge gained during the project to decision-makers, urban planners, and a wider circle of professionals. Particular attention was given to identifying practical communication strategies and tools that would ensure long-term impact beyond the project’s duration. Both the project survey, which was conducted in five European cities – Halle, Delft, Riga, Sofia and Budapest – and many other project activities, such as focus group interviews, go-along interviews, and participatory observations, confirmed the great potential of residential areas to evolve into more sustainable, people-friendly environments.

At the same time, the findings highlighted several persistent challenges. Both physical infrastructure constraints and residents’ established habits, alongside social, economic, and planning-related factors, continue to hinder the broader implementation of active mobility principles in large-scale residential areas. These insights provided a valuable basis for discussions among consortium partners about possible interventions and policy recommendations.

The meeting also addressed the third series of workshops planned across all case study cities, with a focus on delivering research feedback to diverse stakeholder groups, including local authorities, community organizations, and residents. Emphasis was placed on ensuring that this feedback is accessible, actionable, and tailored to the needs of each group. Additionally, getting acquainted with the work and intentions of the New Halle non-governmental organization – particularly its efforts in engaging residents and promoting active mobility approaches – sparked meaningful discussions on the role of various stakeholders. These exchanges underscored the importance of collaboration, co-creation, and shared responsibility in successfully implementing common sustainability goals at the neighborhood level.

The focus group highlighted Ziepniekkalns as a neighborhood that remains highly walkable for daily needs, yet presents notable challenges in terms of comfort, accessibility, and quality of the urban environment. Participants emphasized that while most essential services are reachable on foot, mobility beyond the neighborhood depends heavily on public transport, which is often perceived as unreliable and uncomfortable, discouraging its use.

A key insight from the discussion is the importance of environmental quality for everyday well-being. Respondents expressed a strong need for safe, pleasant, and well-maintained spaces for walking without a specific destination, noting the decline of previously valued green areas and the negative impact of traffic and infrastructure changes. At the same time, lack of local social spaces, such as cafes or gathering places, limits opportunities for community interaction and reduces the attractiveness of staying within the neighborhood.

Despite these challenges, the discussions also revealed positive aspects, including a general sense of safety during daytime and appreciation for local events and improved pedestrian infrastructure in certain areas. Overall, the findings underline the need for more inclusive, human-centered urban interventions that enhance public space quality, improve mobility conditions, and strengthen local social life, particularly for aging populations.

As we enter 2026, we begin the final – and perhaps most exciting – year of the 15minESTATES project. We look ahead with great enthusiasm and confidence, and we wish all of us continued success, meaningful collaboration, and a productive year ahead.

Season’s greetings, and our very best wishes for a successful and inspiring 2026!

Walking interviews have allowed to gather a wide range of lived experiences from residents—covering their daily routines, interests, physical needs, and how they navigate their neighbourhood. These walks helps to understand not only where people go, but why certain routes, places, or services matter to them.

A glimpse into these experiences is shared in a recently published story, where a researcher reflects on how walking with residents can reveal overlooked aspects of the neighbourhood and show “the Gillisbuurt through different eyes.”
Read more here: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/2025/wijstad/seeing-the-gillisbuurt-through-different-eyes

To complement these individual insights, several workshops were held, the latest two being with Gemeente Delft that highlighted the importance of aligning neighbourhood-level insights with strategic planning and with residents of De Vijverhof where during a participatory mapping activity participants shared the places they enjoy, areas they avoid, and changes they feel would help them walk or cycle more comfortably.

Though the workshops differed in format and focus, both offered meaningful input: municipal staff provided policy-oriented perspectives, while residents contributed practical, everyday experiences. Together, these viewpoints help build a more comprehensive understanding of what accessible and liveable neighbourhoods should look like.

A key challenge moving forward will be reconciling residents’ needs with municipal plans and available resources. This balance is critical to designing interventions that are both feasible and impactful. More engagement activities and workshops are planned in the coming weeks as we continue this collaborative phase of the project.

Photo credit: research team and Floor Fortunati

On 6–7 November 2025, the 15minESTATES project was represented at the Land Use Symposium 2025 (ILUS) in Dresden, Germany. Under the overarching theme “Spatial dynamics in an urban society,” the project team presented a poster outlining their methods and preliminary findings related to the assessment of 15-minute city maturity in large housing estates.

The study examines how well commonly used methods for evaluating 15-minute city characteristics can be transferred to the context of large housing estates—urban areas often marked by unique spatial, social, and infrastructural conditions.

To do this, the team applies a gravity-based accessibility approach that evaluates the availability and proximity of essential services, including:

• health and social services,
• educational facilities,
• commercial amenities,
• recreational spaces, and more.

This assessment integrates multiple data sources:

• official municipal datasets,
• OpenStreetMap data, and
• information gathered through participatory and co-creative processes involving local stakeholders.

Preliminary results indicate that while the 15-minute city concept offers a valuable framework for promoting proximity-based urban living, implementing it in large housing estates requires context-sensitive adaptation and close collaboration with local stakeholders.

Authors

Lisanne Petry, Robert Hecht, Srijan Mazumder, Elias Pajares, Cyrine Kamoun, Linda Hänchen, and Stefanie Rößler

On September 11, representatives of the municipality, local experts, civic organizations, community actors, and commercial partners gathered for the workshop “What and How Can We Change?”. Through group analyses and keyword-based discussions, participants defined key aims for improving everyday life on the estate, reflecting on both challenges and opportunities.

On September 12, the results of community data collection and joint mapping were brought to the streets. Three outdoor stations presented survey and interview findings, collaborative maps of routes and meeting points, and playful community exercises reimagining public spaces. These activities invited residents to share their experiences and ideas, making the project’s outcomes visible and open to contribution.

In the evening, the Csili Cultural Center hosted an exhibition and public presentations. On display were student design proposals, visualized survey results, and the entries of the Lakótelepesek photo contest, accompanied by reflections on international examples of 15-minute city development. The program closed with discussions on future directions and the role of collaborative planning in shaping a more livable and connected housing estate.

The 15minESTATES project partner, the BME Department of Urban Planning and Design, in cooperation with the associate partner, the Municipality of Pesterzsébet announced a photo competition open to the public in July 2025.

BELOW or ABOVE, the photos must be taken in the Hungarian case study area, the Pesterzsébet Center Housing Estate. 

BELOW / photos taken anywhere at street level outdoors, on a vehicle, or on the ground floor of a building

ABOVE / photos taken anywhere high up (from a window, terrace, roof, etc.)

The submission deadline is August 31, 2025, and the results will be announced on September 12, 2025, at 5 p.m. at the Csili Cultural Center in Pesterzsébet during the 15minESTATES second local workshop. The best photos will be exhibited in printed version within the subcenters of the housing estate, published on the webpage of the BME Department, and some of them will be used in the communication and other documents of the international DUT project.

The jury of the photo competition:

Tamás Fenes DLA, Prof. Sándor Pálfy DLA, and Bence Bene – BME Department of Urban Planning and Design,

Ildikó Bognár – chief architect of Pesterzsébet,

Imre Czúni – geography teacher, photographer, event organizer at the Csili Cultural Center in Pesterzsébet.

See the call (in Hungarian): https://urb.bme.hu/lakotelepesek-fotopalyazat/

In June 2025 second workshop series started in Halle-Neustadt bringing together city officials, local initiatives, and residents for a discussion on accessibility of key amenities and the district’s development as a 15-minute estate. Discussion revealed both strengths in short-distance access and gaps in certain services. Participants shared experiences, identified local needs, and contributed ideas for future improvements, highlighting the value of collaborative engagement in shaping the area’s livability and informing the project’s next steps.

The event facilitated a lively exchange between representatives of the city administration – including departments for urban development and green space planning, public transport and mobility planning, Smart City , social planning, and educational development – and local initiatives such as street workers, neighbourhood management, and organizations focused on senior citizen support.

The project team presented the results of one and a half years of project work. This included, in particular, the visualization of the accessibility of different infrastructure facilities in Halle-Neustadt and its characteristics as a 15-minute city. Participants also gained a first insight into the results of the population survey conducted over the past year.

Photo: Maja Seehaus

Preliminary findings confirm that Halle-Neustadt is a city of short distances: many key amenities can be reached within 15 minutes. However, it also became clear that there are deficits in certain offerings – especially in facilities that are no longer available in the district, such as restaurants, meeting points, or specialist medical practices.

Photo: Maja Seehaus

As part of so-called neighbourhood maps, residents had the opportunity over the past year to describe places where they enjoy spending time or going for walks. They could also identify areas where dangerous traffic situations or conflicts between different modes of mobility regularly occur. These findings were also discussed and reflected upon during the workshop, and initial ideas for possible interventions and future development strategies were collected. Overall, local practice partners very much appreciated the added value of the preliminary results and discussed conclusions and further ideas for the project with the research team.

Photo: Constanze Zöllter

To continue the dialogue with the local population, an interactive activity was offered as part of the open bicycle workshop of Passage 13: passers-by could record their desired distances to various amenities in the so-called “Flower of Proximity.” This participatory method makes it possible to better capture the needs and wishes of local residents and to incorporate them into further project work.

Photo: Constanze Zöllter

Once again, the workshop demonstrated the importance of collaboration between the administration, local initiatives, and the population in further developing Halle-Neustadt as a livable and future-oriented 15-minute estate. The collected insights and suggestions will now feed into the next steps of the project.

On the 8th of July Alisa and Uģis presented the project to the participants of the AESOP congress and gave presentation “Daily Mobility and Public Open Space in Large-scale Housing Estates: Connection and Social Networking Quality in a 15-minute City Concept” within the session “Planning, design, and research for sustainable mobility”.

Photo: Thomas Verbeek

Photo: Thomas Verbeek

On the 10th of July Thomas presented the very first glance of our resident survey results “Local Accessibility and Mobility Behaviour in Large-scale Housing Estates: Comparative Results From a Multi-country Residents’ Survey”.

Photo: Uģis Bratuškins

Photo: Alisa Koroļova