Why do residents still drive and travel beyond high-accessibility neighborhoods? Examining the challenges to the 15-minute city concept
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19487010 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Seung Jae Lieu (0000-0003-3512-0822, Georgia Institute of Technology, corresponding author), Subhrajit Guhathakurta (0000-0002-2456-3284, Georgia Institute of Technology) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 148 |
| Pages | 107597 |
| Publication date | 2026-09-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sustainable Cities and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2210-6707 • E-ISSN: 2210-6715 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.scs.2026.107597 |
| OpenAlex | W4414396459 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 83 |
The 15-minute city concept promotes proximity to essential services as a pathway to more walkable, localized lifestyles. However, proximity may not be sufficient for such behavior, as residents in highly accessible neighborhoods often continue to drive or travel beyond their immediate surroundings. This study uses non-work trip data for trips originating from high-accessibility neighborhoods in Chicago to explore three sets of factors beyond proximity that shape travel decisions: (1) the spatial configuration of amenities, (2) built environment features, and (3) individual and trip characteristics. A novel metric, the “harmony of amenities,” is developed to capture the functional synergy among co-located amenities from empirical co-visitation patterns. The analysis is based on a bivariate probit model that jointly estimates destination choice (within or outside the 15-minute walkshed) and mode choice (walking or driving). Results reveal that while proximity is necessary, it is not sufficient. Pedestrian-oriented urban design features such as sidewalks, parks, and visually compact streetscapes, along with the functional harmony of nearby amenities, trip purpose, and individual characteristics, significantly shape both mode and destination choices. These results underscore the need for a more nuanced approach to implementing the 15-minute city concept, one that moves beyond simply increasing the number of nearby amenities to improving built environment quality, optimizing spatial arrangements of amenities, and integrating behavioral insights
Bivariate analysis · Built environment · Harmony (color) · Mode (computer interface) · Mode choice · Travel behavior · Travel survey · TRIPS architecture · Transportation and Mobility Innovations · Transportation Planning and Optimization · Urban Transport and Accessibility
The effect of season and weather on physical activity
Increasing walking
To Walk or Not to Walk? The Hierarchy of Walking Needs
Examining the Impacts of Residential Self‐Selection on Travel Behaviour
Unpacking Walkability
The Principle of Minimum Differentiation Reconsidered
Correlates of Walking for Transportation or Recreation Purposes
Effects of skeletal streetscape design on perceived safety
The 15-minute walkable neighborhoods
The 20-minute city
Covid-19, activity and mobility patterns in Bogotá. Are we ready for a ‘15-minute city’?
Minute City
Introducing the “15-Minute City”
Built Environment Correlates of Walking
Measuring the Unmeasurable
Perceived environment and physical activity
The ‘15-Minute City’ concept can shape a net-zero urban future
Can good microscale pedestrian streetscapes enhance the benefits of macroscale accessible urban form? An automated audit approach using Google street view images
Analyzing the effects of Green View Index of neighborhood streets on walking time using Google Street View and deep learning
Identifying localized amenities for gentrification using a machine learning-based framework
How are Neighborhood and Street-Level Walkability Factors Associated with Walking Behaviors? A Big Data Approach Using Street View Images
Walkability index across trip purposes
Association between street greenery and walking behavior in older adults in Hong Kong
Measuring compliance with the 15-minute city concept
Operative methodology for the assessment of pedestrian accessibility to facilities for the 15-minute city neighbourhood-scale planning scenarios
Evaluation of Variance Inflation Factors in Regression Models Using Latent Variable Modeling Methods
The Influences of the Built Environment and Residential Self-Selection on Pedestrian Behavior
Elderly travel frequencies and transport mode choices in Greater Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Curbing automobile use for sustainable transportation
Urban planning and quality of life
A study of community design, greenness, and physical activity in children using satellite, GPS and accelerometer data
Green space and physical activity
Impacts of the built environment and travel behaviour on attitudes
Mode use and trip length of seniors in Montreal
Is the built-environment at origin, on route, and at destination associated with bicycle commuting? A gender-informed approach
The influence of socioeconomic characteristics, land use and travel time considerations on mode choice for medium- and longer-distance trips
Dependence between travel distance, individual socioeconomic and health-related characteristics, and the choice of the travel mode
Understanding rail users' mode choice behavior for first and last mile travel
The 15-minute city for all? – Measuring individual and temporal variations in walking accessibility
Operationalizing Neighborhood Accessibility for Land Use-Travel Behavior Research and Regional Modeling
Location and Agglomeration
The x-minute city
Evaluating the 15-minute city paradigm across urban districts
The 15-minute city
Is proximity enough? A critical analysis of a 15-minute city considering individual perceptions
Automobile dependence in cities
Mobility and out-of-home activities of older people living in suburban environments
Walking, Bicycling, and Urban Landscapes
Associations Between Recreational Walking and Attractiveness, Size, and Proximity of Neighborhood Open Spaces
When local access matters
Design and Destinations
An Economic Theory of Central Places
The role of urban parks for the sustainable city
Travel and the Built Environment
The 15-minute city quantified using human mobility data
A Microlevel Analysis of Residential Context and Travel Time
Travel Configuration on Consumer Trip-Chained Store Choice
| Highly cited | No |
|---|