15-Minute Neighbourhood Sprawls: BENN
The city’s media relations department’s take on the nomination for an award by the Canadian Institute of Planners reeks of Retroactive Original Thought (ROT).
The concept of the 15-minute neighbourhood, which garnered the nomination for planning staff for its work on the Official Plan, was originally described as having everything you need within a 15-minute walk. A home, a place to work, schools for all ages, retail outlets offering the essentials (groceries, pharmacy, banking, medical and dental facilities). In essence, a neighbourhood that a resident would not have to leave.
Later on in the process a few not so minor edits were added to the definition. First and foremost was everything within a 15-bike ride. That not-so-minor edit expanded the radius of the original 15-minute radius by at least a factor of 10. Toss in the access to public transit, and the radius expands by another order of magnitude. Not just ROT, but ROT squared.
As for the extensive community collaboration and informed by science remarks … let’s just say that that is a generous interpretation of what actually happened. Generous in much the same way that U.S. President Donald Trump is with his “fact” based dissertations. Again, ROT.
To close, there is much to be admired about the concept of a 15-minute neighbourhood. The execution of that concept is challenging in new neighbourhoods. It is impossible in existing neighbourhoods. You know, the neighbourhoods that were designed by city planners.
Ron Benn, a finance executive, has been a member of the Centrepointe Community Association for the better part of three decades.
For You:
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– The Bulldog – News Feed Enter 
Wait? The 15 minute neighbourhood is now a 15 minute bike ride? Is this true?
All this from city hall’s Department of Cool New Phrases and Buzzwords. Rats, DCNPB doesn’t pronounce itself very well, I need a vowel.
Sisco,
In order to qualify, you’ll have to find that vowel in fifteen minutes or less.
From where I’m sitting, there is a possibility. It’s a string of “E”s, preferably called out loudly in a shreiking voice if you can manage it, as you run as far as you can from anyone involved in ‘Planning’ at the City of Ottawa. If you like, you can add a “K” at the end.
So it goes something like this: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!!!