Meeting with Carlos Moreno, Creator of the '15-Minute City' Concept and Head of His Research Institute, to Discuss Carbon Neutral Cities
Exchange of Chaire-ETI '15-Minute City White Paper' and Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilhyeong Lee's Book 'Walking Dongdaemun'
Dongdaemun District Mayor Lee Pil-hyung met with Catherine Gall, director of the Entrepreneurship, Territory, and Innovation Research Institute (Chaire-ETI) under Paris Sorbonne University, and urban designer Han Seung-hoon in the mayor’s office on the 20th to discuss the current status and future of carbon-neutral cities.
This meeting was arranged after Mayor Lee proposed it to the Sorbonne University officials he met at the ‘Leaders Meeting’ during the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) 2023 held in Barcelona, Spain, on the 7th.
Chaire-ETI is a research institute chaired by Professor Carlos Moreno of Sorbonne University, who designed the current Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s ‘15-minute city project.’ Catherine Gall, the director, is the overall head of the institute and supports climate response project research for C40 (the global network of cities addressing climate change).
The ‘15-minute city’ refers to a city where six essential public services?housing, health, education, leisure, and others?are accessible within a short distance, aligning with C40’s vision of bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly cities. Accordingly, Paris is expanding bicycle and pedestrian roads to reduce car usage and practice carbon neutrality.
On this day, they shared opinions on urban forms that can enhance citizens’ quality of life while practicing carbon neutrality. They also exchanged Chaire-ETI’s ‘15-minute City White Paper’ and Mayor Lee Pil-hyung’s book, Walking Dongdaemun.
Director Catherine Gall said, “We are developing a platform that enables access to public services by walking and cycling, and we visited Korea to study the lifestyle changes resulting from this. Next May, Professor Carlos Moreno and I plan to attend the Seoul Metropolitan Forum, and I hope to visit Dongdaemun again then.”
Mayor Lee Pil-hyung of Dongdaemun said, “In Korea, it is difficult to use bicycles widely for commuting due to road infrastructure built mainly for cars. Currently, our district is focusing on energy saving and recycling issues to promote carbon neutrality, and we will continue to strive to create a city where people can move comfortably and safely by walking and cycling. We aim to develop a unique carbon-neutral model for Dongdaemun and implement it together with our residents.”
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