Conspiracy Theorists Discover the 15-Minute City

USA Today debunks the false claim that the United Nations’ call for enabling 15-minute cities is a coded plan to institute ‘climate change lockdowns.’

1 minute read

February 8, 2023, 6:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Writing in USA Today, Isabella Fertel fact-checks the conspiracy-minded claim that the concept of the 15-minute city is a global plot to create “climate change lockdowns.”

To be clear, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development makes zero mentions of lockdowns or keeping people in their own neighborhoods. Rather, the 15-minute city is shorthand for the goal of making transit, jobs, healthcare, parks, and all the other amenities we come to expect from city life accessible to all residents within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. 

Carlos Moreno, who coined the concept, says “The core of the ‘15-minute city’ is an open city, a human city, an interconnected city.” Moreno adds, “Of course, all citizens are free to go where they want. There are no constraints.” Dan Luscher, founder of the 15-Minute City Project, says the concept is about promoting, not limiting, mobility.

Monday, February 6, 2023 in USA Today

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