The new plan for the capital is to build a ‘networking infrastructure’, meaning most will be able to either walk or cycle to reach every day amenities and services, according to the London Mayor.
The insight came after London Assembly member, Nicky Gavron, put a question to the Mayor asking how far the new London Plan will go to make the capital a 'fifteen-minute city' like ambitious plans put forward by Paris Mayoral candidate, Anne Hidalgo.
Last month Hidalgo made the phasing out of vehicles and her desire to make more communities self-sufficient, the key points of her re-election campaign.
The Parisian vision, “ville du quart d’heure” (the quarter-hour city), is aimed to reduce stress and pollution and also improve the standard of life for residents and visitors by reducing the need to travel.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, responded saying: "Central to the Good Growth principle that underpins the new London Plan is the drive to make the best use of the scarce land we have.
"Realising this ambition will mean planning development in such a way that leads to Londoners having shorter trips – that can be easily made by a short walk or cycle - to reach the amenities and services they rely on every day.
"The policies in the Plan will go a long way to achieving this aim. It strongly supports higher density development, and the co-location of different uses, in areas well connected to jobs, services, infrastructure and amenities; and encourages mixed-use or housing-led intensification within and on the edge of town centres.
"In addition to helping provide communities with the facilities they need within easy walking and cycling distance, the Plan’s transport and design policies work to make these modes the primary, default choice for millions of Londoners by creating Healthy Streets that are vibrant, attractive, safe and inclusive."
