‘It’s my God given right as an Englishman to be able to drive my car wherever I like. It’s in Magna Carta! No Globalist one world government of socialists is going to stop me from driving where I like when I like’.
The above is not a direct quote but rather the tenor of the argument used by those who oppose what have become known as ‘15 Minute Cities’. It is spouted on websites and even on the TV by conspiracy enthusiasts such as Neil Oliver. However, it is not confined to the tin foil hat wearing fringes, a Conservative MP recently peddled similar claims in the House of Commons.
They seem to think that the introduction of low traffic neighbourhoods and projects to allow lots of homes to be built near shops and other amenities is part of some kind of plot instituted by the elites to bring about a globalist one world government. As has been pointed out, this has troubling anti-semitic connotations. Not only is it potentially an example of vile anti-semitism, it is also completely bonkers.
In this post I will argue that not only are 15 Minute Cities a good thing, there is also every reason why conservatives should support them.
First up, why do I think they’re a good thing? A lot of our towns and cities are far too dependent on cars. People outside of town and city centres often live far away from shops and other nice things and, because public transport is often dire, they generally have to drive a car. There are negative externalities associated with driving a car. For example, they pollute the environment, they damage the health of young and vulnerable people, they cause congestion, and they are involved in collisions which can lead to the death or injury of the driver and other people. It’s also bad for the health of those who use them as they spend themselves sitting down for a long period of time. We’d all be better off if our towns and cities were not designed around cars.
Now, people who oppose schemes such as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 15 Minute Cities claim that they are regressive. They point to hard pressed workers being forced off the road or having to face huge penalties. This is a load of nonsense. In cities such as London, motorists tend to be far wealthier. Those on the lowest incomes tend to have to rely on the bus.
However, as public transport is often shockingly bad and often quite expensive, low income people are often excluded from various opportunities, including employment. To use a personal example, as many readers will know I grew up in a single parent household on a council estate in the North. My mum did a great job and myself and my siblings wanted for nothing, but trying to get to things like sports clubs were often incredibly difficult. Travelling to them was sometimes impossible either due to the cost or because it would take far too long to get there.
Other people also raise concerns about those with disabilities. This is an important point and some Low Traffic Neighbourhood and pedestrianisation schemes have been very poorly designed which has made things even more difficult for people with disabilities. However, it is important that we do listen to people with disabilities and not view them as an homogeneous lump. While some people with disabilities will need a form of private transportation, many more also would like roads to be far less dangerous with fewer or no cars and much better public transport. As such, it is perfectly possible to design a 15 Minute City in a way which allows people with disabilities to thrive.
15 Minute Cities will likely involve building far more homes. I’ve obviously been banging on about this for ages. This needs to happen. We need millions of new homes to be built in order to tackle the cost of living crisis and deal with sluggish productivity. Any scheme which involves building new homes will have my support.
Ok, so why do I think conservatives should support them? At this point it’s important to point out that I’m neither a conservative nor a Conservative and so I can’t say this as a fellow traveller. However, I would describe myself as a free market neoliberal who has worked for a number of free market think tanks and was an adviser to a secretary of state who literally ended up (briefly) becoming the Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party. As such, I’m certainly no socialist.
Conservatives should support 15 Minute Cities because they actually help support conservative values. For example, as discussed above our current reliance on cars actually robs many people of employment opportunities. Having more jobs near to where people live and work will give people the opportunity to start working, or increase their salary, or allow their wages to go further as they’re spending less on the commute. It would even help the new Conservative policy of getting people back to work, including those who might currently find it difficult due to ill health. Helping people to work and rewarding that work is surely a conservative policy.
Then there is the environment. The opposition to 15 Minute Cities often comes from people who are also climate change deniers. However, environmentalism is often seen as a left wing concern. I’ve never been exactly clear as to why this is. Surely conservatism is about conserving something. There can be fewer things more precious and worth conserving for future generations than our environment. 15 Minute Cities should help with this.
It will also help to encourage family formation. Starting a family is not for everyone and families do come in many different forms. However, the idea of a family with parents and children is important to many conservatives. Unfortunately, many people who would like to start a family simply cannot afford to due to the high cost of housing. Again, building dense neighbourhoods will help to increase the supply of housing, making it much more affordable and allow young people to start a family if they want to.
Finally, 15 Minute Cities can help foster a sense of community. Like many young(ish) people, I have never really lived in the same area let alone the same neighbourhood since moving to London. In all my time here I’ve lived North, South, East, and West and this is the case for most of the people I know. What is more, when I go out for a meal or on a night out I always travel. I feel as though I have no real connection to where I live and I couldn’t tell you the names of my neighbours and again, this is the case for most of my friends. 15 Minute Cities will help tackle this issue. It will allow people to put down roots and get to know their neighbours, again this is something which conservatives profess to care about.
So ignore the wackos and the grifters. 15 Minute Cities will not only let us live healthier, happier, and more prosperous lives, they’re also a deeply conservative idea.