Have you ever noticed how ugly “beautiful British Columbia” can be? While walking around Langley recently, I was repulsed by how concrete and car-centric my surroundings were. Aesthetics aside, I also realized that many parts of the Lower Mainland simply aren’t designed for those of us who prefer to walk. Shrinking sidewalks, encroaching cars, and long stretches of urban nothingness make the ordeal of walking anywhere unappealing at best, and dangerous at worst. There is simultaneously not enough space for human movement, and too much space between our homes and essential resources. It’s time to reduce the inflated importance of cars in our society.
In the face of such alienating infrastructure, more and more Canadians are becoming aware of “15-minute cities.” Aspects of this concept could be an antidote to the overwhelming number of cars on the road, as well as the bloated spaces built to contain them. Yet a more skeptical sect within the population has turned the issue into a strangely contentious one.
The Washington Post describes the 15-minute city as a place where “every resident can reach essential resources by foot, bicycle or public transport within a quarter of an hour.” If I apply this concept to my own suburban life in the city of Maple Ridge, a 30-minute walk to the grocery store gets cut in half. Sounds great! Given the choice, I would much rather comfortably walk around my city than take my car. Cars are convenient, of course, but also financially burdensome. With gas prices and temperatures both expected to soar in the summer of 2023, it’s unfortunate that many people will have to choose between draining their bank accounts or walking long distances in 30°C heat for groceries.
A walkable city could be a more equitable city for those affected by the high cost barriers of car ownership. Plus, less time spent sitting in traffic could benefit mental health, and less pollution absolutely benefits environmental health. What’s not to like?
Apparently a few things: As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, there are those who will strongly and vocally oppose anything that infringes upon a shared nationalist sentiment of “freedom.” Bafflingly, 15-minute cities have become a hot button issue for the freedom-fighters. The best explanation for this that I could find came from The Western Standard. Their article essentially cited the rambling hypotheticals of a conservative Facebook group where 15-minute cities have been labeled “totalitarian,” “ghettos,” and “the end of freedom.”
The fear that 15-minute cities will not allow anyone to leave their “zone” seems to have precedent in the English city of Oxford, where measures have been taken to reduce traffic congestion. In order to avoid further abuse of city officials by enraged citizens, the Oxford City Council has since been obliged to remind people that, no, they are not actually infringing on anyone’s freedom of movement. Regardless of what you think of the Oxford example, it’s important that we as Canadians don’t allow our love of freedom to impair our ability to think critically.
The whole thing is reminiscent of the infamous PragerU video which asserts that cars equate to freedom, and therefore the “war” on cars is a war on freedom. Frankly, I think North Americans could stand to be a little less infatuated with cars. What’s so “free” about a machine that can only drive on government-maintained roads anyways? I’ve certainly never felt the sweet call of freedom while bumper-to-bumper on the Hwy-1 at rush hour.
It’s important to remember that the “15-minute city” is a collection of various hypothetical urban planning concepts, and not a globalist agenda. Making cities more walkable doesn’t mean anyone will be forced to give up their car, only that those without cars will have a chance to access their community like everyone else. And for what it’s worth, Vancouver has been nearing “15-minute city” status since at least 2022. As we begrudgingly march into the future together, there will undoubtedly come a time when we will have to re-evaluate the importance of the almighty car in our daily life, in our infrastructure, and in our culture.
Matthew Iddon was born at an exceptionally young age. He aspires to one day become old. He currently resides.