"The concept of a 20-minute neighbourhood, born during Covid, is straightforward: a neighbourhood where people can meet the majority of their daily needs within reasonable distance of their home by walking or cycling. The idea is to promote more sustainable travel, reduce private car usage and encourage people to return to a way of life that sees basic needs met locally.

"The 20-minute neighbourhood concept is no bad thing when considering housing development trends of the past: suburban, edge-of-settlement developments without sustainable access to local amenities, solely reliant on motor vehicles. Town centres were characterised by large car parks for people driving from the suburbs to the town centre for one or two days a week.

"What if the town centre were to become a ‘local living centre’ – a sustainable community with enough people to support a local economy of shops, cafés and restaurants? In many ways the solution is simple – our high streets need people living in them." - Lee Mainwaring

ARTICLE: Could A Solution To The Housing Crisis Also Save Our High Streets?