Last year, Boston drivers spent an average of 79 hours sitting in traffic. Those hours could have been spent going to the gym, visiting a library, or having lunch with a friend. How different would our lives be if everything we needed was only 15 minutes away on foot?

The 15-Minute City is an urban planning framework in which people live within 15 minutes of the essentials they need by walking or biking. Cities around the world - Barcelona, Paris, Singapore, and Bogota - have adopted this concept for sustainability and to improve general quality of life. As this concept gains popularity, we explore how our cities might leverage this global movement.

For decades, urban planning in the United States has advanced and prioritized automobile use, which led to the destruction and splintering of Black and brown neighborhoods. What resulted was the unprecedented surge of suburbia, which designated for generations of Americans separate spaces for living, working, etc. Now more than ever, the US is confronted with a physical and political landscape demonstrating the importance of connection and community.

In this talk, we explore the principles of the 15-Minute City, how it works, and how urban planning impacts our way of life and shapes how we live and move in our communities.

Christian MilNeil, editor-in-chief at StreetsblogMASS is moderating the discussion.