IN-PERSON Lisbon Livable Cities. Section B

Abstract

The concept of the 15-minute city, where essential services are accessible within a short walk or bike ride, is gaining attention as a promising strategy for healthier, more sustainable, and people-centred urban living. This study evaluates how three key indicators closely linked to the 15-minute community model — function mix, walkability, and Mobiscore (a composite accessibility measure) — relate to car ownership per household and socioeconomic deprivation, using the Belgian Index of Multiple Deprivation. Our analysis, stratified by rural, suburban, and urban areas, reveals that higher accessibility is consistently associated with lower car ownership. This suggests that well-designed neighborhoods can help reduce car dependency. In some cases, a threshold effect is observed: benefits only appear once accessibility reaches a critical level. Additional attention is given to patterns observed in Belgium’s ten largest cities, providing insight into how these dynamics play out in major urban centres. However, we also find that the most walkable and mixed-use neighborhoods, particularly in urban areas, are often marked by higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation. This raises important questions about the historical and structural factors that shape who lives in the most walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods. Paradoxically, air pollution (NOâ‚‚) levels are highest in areas with the lowest car ownership, indicating environmental injustice and highlighting complex patterns of environmental exposure in dense urban cores.