RIBA + VitrA Talk: Carlos Moreno and the 15-minute city

How much of your time is lost per day travelling across your city, commuting to work or sitting on the tube home at rush hour? Join Franco-Colombian scientist and university professor Carlos Moreno as he presents his innovative approach to modern urban planning; the 15-minute city. His Obel award-winning concept offers a radical departure to the current direction of modern urbanism, reducing the radius in which amenities and activities are situated and take place, making our cities more local, more accessible and more liveable.

“Our acceptance of the dysfunctions and indignities of modern cities has reached a peak. We need to change that, for the sake of justice, for our wellbeing and for the climate.” – Carlos Moreno

Daily life in the modern city is structured around arduous commutes and daily activities far too reliant on the car. Our alarmingly high carbon emissions are ensuring that we are enduring life in poor air quality. In contrast, Carlos Moreno’s 15-minute city promotes a human-centric and environmentally sustainable urban future.

The 15-minute city provides inhabitants with access to all the services they require; housing, work, food, health, education, culture and leisure, within their immediate vicinity. Restructuring urban life so that each resident could live the urban experience within a 15-minute radius, would revolutionise city living. The hyperlocal global urban movement, as Moreno terms it, would, drastically reduce traffic and CO2 emissions, fundamentally increasing the health and wellbeing of people around the world.

This talk is part of our series, sponsored by VitrA Bathrooms. Find out more about future talks in this series here.

© Thomas Baltes

Professor Carlos Moreno is Scientific director at IAE Paris - Sorbonne University (France). He earned recognition as a scientist with an innovative mind and unique approach to urban issues. He works at the heart of issues of international significance, bringing an innovative perspective on urban issues and offering solutions to the issues faced by the cities, metropolises and territories during the 21st century.

Some of his concepts have travelled the world, including the ‘Human Smart City’, the ‘15-minute City’ and the 'Territory of 30 minutes’. In June 2022, he launched the Global Observatory of proximities at the World Urban Forum #WUF11 with UN-Habitat, C40 Cities, UCLG and other partners.

He has won prizes including Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (France, 2010), the Obel Award by the Henrik Frode Obel Foundation (Denmark, 2021), the Leadership Award, Smart City Expo World Congress (Spain, 2021) as well as the International Mobility Award, Empresas por la movilidad sostenible (Madrid, 2022), among others.

This event is part of a series of events for the RIBA + VitrA Partnership.

This partnership reflects a shared commitment to add social, economic and cultural value to society, and are proud to be supporting such an inspiring programme.

With innovation at its core, a global reach and a tradition of collaborating with celebrated architects and designers, the VitrA bathroom brand has become a world leader, synonymous with contemporary sophistication since the mid-1900s.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Royal Institute of British Architects, 66 Portland Place, London, United Kingdom