Want some hope and inspiration? Wondering if it is possible to change things from awful to beautiful? Then step away from what is at the top of your to-do list and spend 13 mins watching this video.

To those who have opportunistically weaponised ’15 minute city’ in pursuit of political populism and profit, stop stealing people’s dreams.

Welcome to Le Plessis-Robinson – a municipality near Paris. “This town did the impossible! It was able to transform itself from a gloomy dispirited town, dominated by decaying concrete flats into a thriving, friendly and beautiful community”.

Key to its success? “A steadfast mayor, a couple of visionary architects and sheer will”.

Seven critical success factors:

1️⃣ Long term vision is key – “this plan was not the result of just a couple of profit hungry developers”

2️⃣ Smart policies – use public-private partnerships

3️⃣ Urban form – “get the urban form right…from blocks to streets”, “create a clear difference between private and public space”

4️⃣ Social housing can be beautiful – “Beauty and human dignity go hand-in-hand. Forcing those without any choice to live in ugly concrete boxes is unethical”, “the quality of the social housing is so high that you can’t even see that they are social housing from the outside”

5️⃣ More than just a park – “they created a true river ecosystem and boosted the biodiversity of the place enormously”

6️⃣ The walkable city wins – “shops and services are close enough so that people can walk or bike to fulfil their daily needs. It is a good example of the 15 minute city”

7️⃣ Beauty does matter – “The mayor of this town saw the importance of beauty as self-evident…slowly but surely the town became more pleasant, which started to attract more business, and increased people’s attachment to the place”

Importantly: “The pleasantness of Le Plessir-Robinson was not random. It was designed”

I watched the video today at the suggestion of a colleague in the Netherlands who was providing feedback on our draft ‘Triple Access Planning – Handbook for Practitioners’ (coming soon!). It resonated strongly even without mention of digital accessibility. Failing to plan is planning to fail. We need strong not weak planning. Focused on people and planet from which can flow prosperity. Not focused on narrow-minded profiteering. Planning success comes from the top and the bottom – a visionary leader and genuine consideration of the quality of life of those in social housing.

Next time you come across someone bad-mouthing 15 minutes cities or 20 minute neighbourhoods invite them to indulge in some lifelong learning and watch this video. Beautiful futures are possible. This year over half of the world’s population has the chance to vote in elections. Visionary leaders – make yourselves known! People, don’t be fooled by false (profiteering) prophets – pick your leaders wisely and make your votes count for a greener, fairer more prosperous future.

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