The Evolutive Meshed Compact City

Purpose and goal

To reduce the risk of 15-minute city policies exacerbating the tensions between central cities and peripheral areas, the project proposes a new model, adapted to conditions in peripheral areas: Evolutive Meshed Compact City (EMC2). EMC2 proposes a pragmatic transition pathway to the 15-minute City for European metropolitan peripheries, along existing main roads. More specifically, the project will produce: a transferable, multi-scale method to assess EMC2 potential in European suburban areas, and guidelines for EMC2 implementation, including examples and obstacles.

Expected effects and result

The 15-minute city aims to improve the quality of life in the cities of the 21st century. However, the transition to a 15-minute city is much more difficult in suburbs and car-dependent outskirts. The EMC2 model proposes developments along existing main roads. By being adapted for pedestrian traffic, these roads are transformed into interconnected, vibrant and inclusive high streets with a wide variety of services and connections to wider mobility options. The idea is that this requires only small improvements to the existing suburban structure.

Planned approach and implementation

The project will evaluate the EMC2 model in six European case studies. This is done using a triangular research methodology that includes innovative geospatial modeling, field observations and comparative morphological and functional analyses.