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The 15-minute city | Carlos Moreno

Take action on climate change at . Living in a city means accepting a certain level of dysfunction: long commutes, noisy streets, underutilized spaces. Carlos Moreno wants to change that. He makes the case for the “15-minute city,” where inhabitants have access to all the services they need to live, learn and thrive within their…

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Take action on climate change at .

Living in a city means accepting a certain level of dysfunction: long commutes, noisy streets, underutilized spaces. Carlos Moreno wants to change that. He makes the case for the “15-minute city,” where inhabitants have access to all the services they need to live, learn and thrive within their immediate vicinity — and shares ideas for making urban areas adapt to humans, not the other way around.

This conversation was part of the Countdown Global Launch on 10.10.2020. (Watch the full event here: .) Countdown is TED’s global initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis. The goal: to build a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, in the race to a zero-carbon world. Get involved at

TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

67 Comments

  1. Łukasz

    January 25, 2021 at 4:59 pm

    Dont understand a word

    • Robert Skitch

      January 25, 2021 at 5:21 pm

      Did you try turning on the subtitles?

    • Łukasz

      January 25, 2021 at 5:31 pm

      @Robert Skitch the lecturer must be an arrogant man. No one can explaint to him he can’t speak english. This is lack of empathy to be so bad at Ted Talk

    • Robert Skitch

      January 25, 2021 at 6:11 pm

      ​@Łukasz Or perhaps because English is the most widely understood language he was doing his best to be considerate and make his talk as accessible to as many people as possible? You seem pretty arrogant yourself to just assume someone’s motives and circumstances like that.

      I had maybe some trouble understanding his accent, but it was not a problem since I could just turn the subtitles on. Is there a reason that you are not able to use the subtitles?

    • Łukasz

      January 25, 2021 at 6:58 pm

      @Robert Skitch it’s not a matter of subtitles. Recording voice is what I do for a living. This is lack of practise (which is arrogance) or a disability. I assume the first because I see that kind of behaviour all the time, especially with older people. It’s not a game for civilization to care (which is unnatural) but for an individual to fit in.
      The lack of empathy is permanent in AngloSaxon genotype as well as the Spanish and Portugese.
      He should have apologized in the beginning or not take the deal.

  2. Jenny Coffey

    January 25, 2021 at 5:00 pm

    All this upgrading and now one task is so complicated to be the whole at the beginning step that it takes all DAT a couple of days to arrange one appointment or service… It amounts to having to be every professional yourself.

  3. MAGRI - A Real Estate Journey

    January 25, 2021 at 5:04 pm

    Great speach!!! 🔥

  4. The Unknown Evidence

    January 25, 2021 at 5:20 pm

    Most of the time people, or at least I, spend travelling is to and from work.
    For jobs that cannot be done remotely, it doesn’t sound so practical for everyone to live within a 15-minute walking distance of their workplace.

  5. emilemil1 | Nightcore

    January 25, 2021 at 5:22 pm

    I don’t know about other cities, but in mine you can already get to everything you need in your daily life in a 15 minute bike ride. That includes a school, restaurants, a grocery store, an apothecary, a gym, etc. Though of course some things are not that close, since you can’t place universities or hospitals everywhere.

    The caveat is that you need to live near the city center, which is the complete opposite of what most people want, especially those in their thirties and up who’ve started a family and want nice, green and open areas for their kids and pets, and who have the income to afford it. Apartments in the city center that are close to everything mostly appeal to younger adults and the elderly.

    What you’ve also got to consider is that the biggest factor to being able to bike everywhere is living close to your workplace, and most people can’t live that close to their job. And if like me you live in a cold climate, traveling by bike in the winter is awful, and on very snowy days you can’t walk either unless you want to push through knee-deep snow.

  6. Hoi Sauce

    January 25, 2021 at 5:26 pm

    Problem with cities is that they’re unsafe, as the modern progressives who run them nowadays tolerate and defer to crime and dangerous people

    • Hoi Sauce

      January 25, 2021 at 5:27 pm

      Make cities safe and anything is possible. Look at Singapore

  7. Gabriel 2018

    January 25, 2021 at 5:35 pm

    Carlos Moreno?? I thought he was from India

    • Abhay Bhatt

      January 25, 2021 at 9:19 pm

      Seriously?!
      No Indian would have that kind of accent.

  8. s king

    January 25, 2021 at 5:51 pm

    I back this 💯

  9. finndo

    January 25, 2021 at 5:58 pm

    industrial zones at <15 minute walk from everywhere... Yeah!!!
    And hours from one industry to the other...

  10. Clutch YT

    January 25, 2021 at 6:25 pm

    I read the article kindlab thanks for that it was great 👍

  11. Scott Bentley

    January 25, 2021 at 6:53 pm

    Let’s do it! Less time spent in traffic fewer emissions and no more highway hypnosis!

  12. Alejandro Gonzalvo

    January 25, 2021 at 7:37 pm

    Should we tell this guy about the existence of modern towns?

    • Leon Limmer

      January 25, 2021 at 9:53 pm

      depending where you live, cities may or may not have implemented the exact concept of a 15-minute city but are a naturally favourable environment for the sustainable growth and mobility inside it. Romero talks specifically about Paris implementing this concept for the first time at a larger scale as a measure to curb congestion and make the goal of carbon neutrality a reachable one in the next decades.

  13. Alex Kapila

    January 25, 2021 at 7:38 pm

    All I believe is that the plans for future cities must be good and well and must be kept away from corruption etc.
    BTW loved your idea sir

  14. D Wilks

    January 25, 2021 at 7:49 pm

    This concept isn’t new, sorry mate. However keep reiterating it, more decision makers may listen.

  15. 0 0

    January 25, 2021 at 8:23 pm

    What?

  16. Raven

    January 25, 2021 at 8:30 pm

    thank you whoever wrote subtitles

  17. Sandra Nosocialism

    January 25, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    So many complaints on his accent. I thought he did a nice job. However transformation of existing cities would have to be done in stages at a great cost. Personally I hate cities. Took me awhile to afford getting out. I’m not near all those things he talked about but it is fine with me. I don’t like sports or museums. I’m not a people person and having great numbers of them around me is uncomfortable. I think he is almost trying to create several small towns within a city. Not everyone will like this as some people like crowds and noise. To each his own. I do see it being very difficult to achieve though

    • Joseph Demetrio

      January 25, 2021 at 9:18 pm

      The premise of the presenter is that everyone is exactly the same, with exactly the same interests, hobbies and motivations. Everyone likes different balances of everything.

    • Sandra Nosocialism

      January 25, 2021 at 9:27 pm

      @Joseph Demetrio I thought he sounded rather utopian dreamer too but he makes a valid point in having more greenery and faster access to necessities. The whole problem though is cities grow and shrink depending on the economy and availability of work. This makes it quite a challenge to design them.

  18. Abhay Bhatt

    January 25, 2021 at 9:20 pm

    What kind of hellish accent is that!?!?!

  19. Yvette Glasius

    January 25, 2021 at 9:57 pm

    Does he know about the Dutch? On a bike we can get pretty much anywhere in 10 minutes on a lot of our cities

  20. Suhrd Joshi

    January 25, 2021 at 10:13 pm

    Basically gram swaraj.

  21. The COVID-19 Coronavirus

    January 25, 2021 at 11:36 pm

    Too much wet mouth sounds I’m out.
    Notify when Morgan freeman does the remake

  22. 헤월

    January 26, 2021 at 12:28 am

    Sank you too

  23. Steve Pegg

    January 26, 2021 at 12:53 am

    A walking population is a controlled population.

  24. Su Ry

    January 26, 2021 at 1:33 am

    Can you add Japanese translation ?🙌
    I couldn’t catch some part of this video using translator

  25. Pandaboi

    January 26, 2021 at 3:32 am

    This is a terrible video. There was not a single bit of evidence provided or even explanation of why this would be better. We don’t need idea people, we need execution people. The idea is great, replacing Walmart with the corner store boosts the economy, and replacing highways with narrow streets reduces traffic (it’s true), I hoped for better delivery though.

  26. Skymotion Aerial

    January 26, 2021 at 4:46 am

    uh

  27. Pepe Domingo

    January 26, 2021 at 5:39 am

    sounds very similar to the college experience, the only time in most americans’ lives where they live within 20 min walking to all the essentials

  28. nobody

    January 26, 2021 at 6:05 am

    not so practical

  29. Айдай Бекайдар

    January 26, 2021 at 6:44 am

    thank you 💕💕💕

  30. Jordan

    January 26, 2021 at 6:54 am

    If this dudes tongue touches the top of his mouth he explodes

    • Melo

      January 27, 2021 at 6:21 am

      What do you mean

  31. Mood Infinite

    January 26, 2021 at 7:09 am

    Turning schools into neighborhood centers in the evening is a no brainer and honestly should be implemented everywhere. High school gyms, pools, and tracks should be open to the public!

  32. Naturally Perfect

    January 26, 2021 at 9:08 am

    Oh dear. I had to stop listening to this within a minute. I couldn’t understand what the man was saying because of his accent. I speak and understand Spanish and English. It would have been helpful if the lecture was in his native Spanish with English subtitles.

    • Alok Mishra

      January 26, 2021 at 12:17 pm

      Hello @Naturally Perfect

    • Naturally Perfect

      January 30, 2021 at 2:09 am

      @Alok Mishra ok, hello
      ?
      This is me responding to your hello. Can you tell me the purpose of your brief message? It is a little puzzling, sinister even. Please elaborate what you wanted to comment on. If you do, and I want to respond, I will. Just saying hello is unusual for this forum.

    • Alok Mishra

      January 30, 2021 at 2:51 am

      @Naturally Perfect Can I know your name and profession ??

    • Naturally Perfect

      January 30, 2021 at 3:53 am

      @Alok Mishra Can I get an answer as to why you want this? How about you tell me about yourself, and if I choose not to respond it’s likely that that I question your motivations and find them unhealthy. Why have you latched on to me? Is there an individual reason? or are you flagging up other posts that meet your criteria. I could be conversing with an algorithm even. It seems unlikely I will respond to similar type questions without information about yourself forthcoming. The speedy response I’ve received leans me more to suspecting this is an algorithm.

    • Alok Mishra

      January 30, 2021 at 5:40 pm

      @Naturally Perfect Actually,I want to share with you something.And I don’t know why you are being so negative

    • Naturally Perfect

      January 31, 2021 at 6:50 am

      @Alok Mishra you have my blessing. Like yourself (or the programmed response ) I enjoy or am directed to keep my privacy. Share with gusto! Publicly.

  33. Shamut on EV’s

    January 26, 2021 at 9:15 am

    Most European cities under half a million population offer a 15 minute life

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    January 26, 2021 at 11:06 am

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  35. chromebooka12 DeRing

    January 26, 2021 at 12:12 pm

    echt een vet filmpje

  36. kevin franklin tytel

    January 26, 2021 at 12:14 pm

    Pass o ‘re

  37. kevin franklin tytel

    January 26, 2021 at 12:14 pm

    Jan16 1914 2021 2563

  38. kevin franklin tytel

    January 26, 2021 at 12:14 pm

    NOTICE

  39. Chris

    January 26, 2021 at 2:47 pm

    it’s been done before. in the old town i was born there was a city sqare. it was a small park with seats and a fountain, and was surrounded by shops and cinema and eateries. very different to modern city malls, that maximize capitalism at the expense of quality of life. here where i live now in melbourne australia we have some parks at the edges of the city, which are completely removed from any amenities.

  40. Life Is My Opportunity - Channel

    January 26, 2021 at 3:06 pm

    I was made redundant during the pandemic.
    I created this channel to better myself and then the world

  41. Azeem Choudhry

    January 26, 2021 at 3:35 pm

    Is he too white to be subtitled?

  42. Philip Hunt

    January 26, 2021 at 5:33 pm

    This is all true, the only obstacle is the systemic processes of finance and big investment. This process loves mobilising resources and building infrastructure to create a cascade of platforms that create needs to be fulfilled by other corporations financed in the same way. (Tell me, is Elon Musk looking to not build stuff or sell more cars, or create a market out of Space travel?) However, the “creating inclusion and community” and a bit of integration and de-growth is the trick, this would politically undermine the aims of high finance in the current political arrangements. Pharoaohs build pyramids and if they don’t, they’re no longer Pharaoh’s.

  43. Nuhemio

    January 26, 2021 at 6:38 pm

    Awesome talk.

  44. Miller

    January 26, 2021 at 9:14 pm

    I love his accent

  45. __

    January 27, 2021 at 8:28 pm

    Cool idea. American cities are mostly designed around personal 🚙 ownership, while most citizens don’t own or can’t afford one 🤦. We need educated and empathetic designers, not clueless trolls who CONSCIOUSLY perpetuate systematic disparity

  46. Natural Art

    January 27, 2021 at 10:16 pm

    Does the pulse & breath of the city harmonize with the hearts & souls of its dancers???

  47. Kayla Lucia

    January 27, 2021 at 11:14 pm

    I thank you Tali Sharot for motivating my daughter when thing went really had for her.
    It was really so bad that she attempted committing murder until you invited Mrs Lyra Holt Dean for your TED show program.
    Am really so grateful for her finical assistance in my daughters life thank you so much once again.

    • Jessica Rizzo

      January 27, 2021 at 11:17 pm

      I see please do you mind if i know how this woman helped you cause i have been hearing people testifying i really want to know who this Mrs Lyra Holt Dean is. I even searched her name on goggle she was all over but i want to confirm if she can help me too.

    • Kayla Lucia

      January 27, 2021 at 11:23 pm

      @Jessica Rizzo Honestly is not something we can talk about on the comment section i can give you her direct so you can contact@lyraholtdean; KOM that her direct mail feel free talking to her and thank me later SMILES.

  48. HGMF

    January 28, 2021 at 4:09 pm

    Isn’t this just Jane Jacobs?

  49. John Bray

    January 29, 2021 at 10:58 pm

    zoom in, zoom out, stop it!

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