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Math,

The 15-Minute City

What if you could go everywhere you needed without using a car?

By Susan Cosier
From the March/April 2022 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will graph and locate points on a coordinate plane to create a map of a “15-minute city.”

Lexile: 1020L; 650L
Focus Area: Geometry,
Standards
  • CCSS: 5.G.A.2 TEKS: 5.8C

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Lexile® measure

  • 1020L
  • 650L

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Can you walk, bike, or take the bus to school in less than 15 minutes? What if you’re going to the park or the grocery store? In most cities around the world, this isn’t possible for everyone. That’s why experts are trying to design “15-minute cities,” where everything you need is a quick trip away—no car required!

Cars are convenient, but they produce more pollution than other modes of transit. Too much pollution harms people’s health and contributes to climate change. Carlos Moreno, an urban planning expert in Paris, France, came up with the idea for 15-minute cities in 2016. But travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic have made the concept more popular.

Can you walk or bike to school in less than 15 minutes? What about to the park? Or the grocery store? That’s not possible for everyone in most cities around the world. That’s why experts are trying to design “15-minute cities.” A 15-minute city is a place where everything you need is a quick trip away. You would never need a car!

Cars are convenient. But they create pollution. Too much pollution harms people’s health. It also contributes to climate change. Carlos Moreno is an urban planning expert. He lives in Paris, France. Moreno came up with the idea for 15-minute cities in 2016. But the idea became more popular during the Covid-19 pandemic.

When people couldn’t travel far from home, they were more likely to explore nearby parks and shops. They got to know their neighbors as they traveled on foot and by bike. Having fewer cars on the road also made the air cleaner. “It reinforced the idea of accessing everything you need within reach of your home,” says Kate Pannifex, a city planner in Melbourne, Australia.

People couldn’t travel far from home during the start of the pandemic. That made them more likely to explore nearby parks and shops. They walked and biked more. They got to know their neighbors. The air also became cleaner with fewer cars on the road. “It reinforced the idea of accessing everything you need within reach of your home,” says Kate Pannifex. She’s a city planner in Melbourne, Australia.

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Having everything nearby has other benefits too. Research shows that it helps people feel connected to their communities, which makes them feel happier overall. For now, 15-minute cities are just an idea, but some experts think they could be a good model for living spaces around the world. City planners in places like Melbourne are using the concept to decide where to build schools, install bike lanes, and create new parks.

Having everything nearby is good for people in other ways too. Research shows that it helps people feel connected to their communities. That makes them feel happier overall. The 15-minute city is just an idea for now. But some experts think it could be a good model for living spaces around the world. City planners in places like Melbourne are using the idea of a 15-minute city to make decisions. The model helps them decide where to create new bike lanes and parks. They are even using it to determine where to build new schools!

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Coordinate Plane

What to Do

A coordinate plane is used to locate points. It is formed by two number lines called axes. The lines intersect at point (0, 0), the origin. An ordered pair shows the location of a coordinate point on the plane.

Example

What is the location of point A?

• Determine how many units away from the origin the point is along the x-axis.

Your x-coordinate is 2.

• Determine how many units away from the origin the point is along the y-axis.

Your y-coordinate is 3.

So point A is located at (2, 3).

Coordinate Plane

What to Do

A coordinate plane is used to locate points. It is formed by two number lines called axes. The lines intersect at point (0, 0), the origin. An ordered pair shows the location of a coordinate point on the plane.

Example

What is the location of point A?

• Determine how many units away from the origin the point is along the x-axis.

Your x-coordinate is 2.

• Determine how many units away from the origin the point is along the y-axis.

Your y-coordinate is 3.

So point A is located at (2, 3).

Now You Try It

Use the coordinate plane to answer the questions.

Use the coordinate plane to answer the questions.

In the map above, there is a grocery store at point G. Write the ordered pair for the location of this point. 

In the map above, there is a grocery store at point G. Write the ordered pair for the location of this point. 

A. An elementary school is located 2 units directly south of point G. What is the location of the school?

B. Plot this point on the plane, and label it point S.

A. An elementary school is located 2 units directly south of point G. What is the location of the school?

B. Plot this point on the plane, and label it point S.

A. A day care center is 4 units north and 2 units east of the elementary school. Plot this location on the grid, and label it point D. 

B. What is this point’s ordered pair?

A. A day care center is 4 units north and 2 units east of the elementary school. Plot this location on the grid, and label it point D. 

B. What is this point’s ordered pair?

If traveling one unit on the grid takes 5 minutes, how long would it take to get from the school (point S) to the grocery store (point G)?

If traveling one unit on the grid takes 5 minutes, how long would it take to get from the school (point S) to the grocery store (point G)?

Which marked points are within 15 minutes of a home at the origin (0, 0)?

Which marked points are within 15 minutes of a home at the origin (0, 0)?

Continue Your Learning

  • Rewatch the video “Street Smarts” (above). Then design a map of your dream city using a piece of graph paper. Mark points for at least 5 places or attractions your city would have, such as a park, a grocery store, or a playground. Label each point on your map with the name of the place and its ordered pair.
  • Take our poll above! Where would you most want to be able to walk to?

Continue Your Learning

  • Rewatch the video “Street Smarts” (above). Then design a map of your dream city using a piece of graph paper. Mark points for at least 5 places or attractions your city would have, such as a park, a grocery store, or a playground. Label each point on your map with the name of the place and its ordered pair.
  • Take our poll above! Where would you most want to be able to walk to?
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