From the 15-minute city to the 20-minute suburb

Like the neighbourhoods along San Francisco Bay, many American suburbs are now being reinvented. Photo: AFP

While the model of the 15-minute city – where all essential services are accessible in less than 15 minutes on foot or by bicycle – is now being adopted in many large urban areas, a new concept is emerging in the United States, this time involving 20-minute suburbs.

Launched by the US architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the idea of the 20-minute suburb replaces the car-centric sprawl of the past with neighbourhoods where walking, soft mobility, and/or public transportation are all that are needed to access any public service or business.