The 20-minute city: An equity analysis of Liverpool City Region
Alessia Calafiore; Richard Dunning; Alex Nurse; Alex Singleton (2022). Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 102, 103111. DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2021.103111
Abstract
The 20-minute city has become a popular urban planning policy to support low-transport neighbourhoods. Whilst meeting residents’ needs in local neighbourhoods is not a new concept, urban and transportation planners are increasingly being tasked with re-structuring transport and public services to facilitate people ‘living locally’. The existence of a 20-minute city is seen as a signifier of urban success and has taken on political acknowledgement through the pandemic, yet existing spatial inequalities contribute to the daunting headwinds in making active travel support an equitable city. In this paper, we provide a novel approach to identify where 20-minute neighbourhoods might exist within a large city region and assess how their existence aligns with socio-spatial inequalities.
Extended Summary
This research examines how the popular concept of the 20-minute city relates to existing social inequalities in Liverpool City Region, a large metropolitan area in North West England. The 20-minute city concept envisions neighbourhoods where residents can access essential services within a 10-minute walk from home, supporting active travel and reducing car dependence. However, questions remain about whether such neighbourhoods are equitably distributed across different communities. The study develops a novel methodology to identify areas that approximate 20-minute neighbourhoods by calculating accessibility scores for 12 essential services including food shops, healthcare facilities, schools, parks, and transport links. Using postcode data and Ordnance Survey information, the research measured walking times to services across the Liverpool City Region, comprising over 36,000 postcodes. Spatial clustering analysis identified areas with high accessibility to diverse services as potential 20-minute neighbourhoods. The research then employed statistical modelling techniques, including Ordinary Least Squares regression and Geographically Weighted Regression, to examine relationships between service accessibility and socio-demographic variables such as income, education, ethnicity, car ownership, house prices, and air quality. The findings reveal significant inequalities in access to 20-minute neighbourhood amenities. Only a small proportion of Liverpool City Region’s population lives in areas approximating 20-minute neighbourhoods, ranging from just 2.4% in Knowsley to 24% in Liverpool city centre. These high-accessibility areas are predominantly located in urban cores, whilst peripheral and rural areas have much lower service accessibility. The analysis demonstrates that socio-economic factors strongly influence service accessibility patterns. Areas with lower education levels and higher deprivation scores tend to have fewer walkable services, whilst car ownership shows complex relationships with accessibility that vary geographically. Importantly, many identified 20-minute neighbourhoods are located in areas with higher air pollution levels, raising concerns about environmental quality alongside service accessibility. The research highlights a critical policy tension: whilst high-accessibility areas offer easier opportunities for implementing 20-minute city initiatives, they may already be relatively advantaged. Meanwhile, areas with poor service accessibility often face multiple disadvantages including higher car dependence and limited transport options. This creates challenges for equitable implementation of 20-minute city policies. The study concludes that successful 20-minute city planning must explicitly address existing spatial inequalities rather than simply retrofitting areas with existing advantages. More disadvantaged communities will require substantial additional support and investment to achieve equitable access to essential services within walking distance, ensuring the 20-minute city concept promotes rather than exacerbates urban inequality.
Key Findings
- Only 2.4% to 24% of Liverpool City Region residents live in areas approximating 20-minute neighbourhoods, with significant spatial inequality
- Socio-economic deprivation and low education levels correlate strongly with reduced access to walkable essential services
- High-accessibility 20-minute neighbourhoods are predominantly located in urban centres but often have higher air pollution levels
- Car ownership relationships with service accessibility vary geographically, creating complex patterns of transport disadvantage
- Equitable 20-minute city implementation requires prioritising disadvantaged areas rather than enhancing already well-served neighbourhoods
Citation
@article{calafiore202220minute,
author = {Alessia Calafiore; Richard Dunning; Alex Nurse; Alex Singleton},
title = {The 20-minute city: An equity analysis of Liverpool City Region},
journal = {Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment},
year = {2022},
volume = {102},
pages = {103111},
doi = {10.1016/j.trd.2021.103111}
}