Conspiracy theories on '15-minute cities' flourish

The city of Melbourne is one of several communities looking at projects that encourage 'local living.' Photo: AFP

Urban planners are fending off abuse fuelled by conspiracy theories about their "15-minute city" regeneration projects which suspicious social media users claim are the road to "climate lockdowns".

The 15-minute city premise is simple – all amenities such as parks and grocery stores must be accessible within a quarter of an hour's walk or bike ride from a person's home.