Place and mobility in Wales: Challenges and opportunities for reducing car use in a car-dependent, low-density country

Abstract

The related concepts of 15‐minute city and 20‐minute neighbourhood have gained increased attention, contributing to planning and transport strategies and policies in many cities with the objectives of reducing car use, boosting local economies, improving liveability of places and the health of those who live there. However, there has been relatively little consideration of whether and how the 15/20‐minute place concept can be applied beyond world cities to the towns and suburbs where many people live. Taking the example of Wales, the paper develops empirical analysis to explore the nature of and variation in car-dependence in a range of different places, from densely populated city centres to residential suburbs and small towns. This analysis shows that the potential for developing more liveable, less car-dependent places exists not only in central cities but in some smaller places where there is a resident live-work population and relatively short commuting distances. For places like Wales, which has already incorporated the 15/20‐minute place ideal into its planning framework and transport strategy, the aspiration to reduce car dependency will require policies that reflect the very different starting points in Welsh places.