15-Minute Cities: A Step Toward Utopia or Tyranny?

On February 18, 2,000 people marched through Oxford protesting Oxford’s “15-minute neighborhoods” plan to create low-traffic neighborhoods. Though the concept sounds utopian—being able to reach all you need in 15 minutes without a car—people fear the promised utopia will suddenly turn into a dystopian nightmare.

• Big cities like Paris, London and Portland are already 15-minute cities; others are on their way to it.
• Such cities require that all necessary amenities be within a short walk, bike ride or public transit trip from one’s home.

The 21st-century idea, which links to ancient town planning, began loftily: a utopia that fantasized a greener, healthier, time-saving urban existence with improved density of services, culture and retail, thereby reducing carbon-emitting car journeys. … Paris, the capital of 15-minute city thinking, has already evicted parking spaces by the thousands, built new cycle lanes, and planned a glade-like pedestrianized Champs-Elysées.
—Natalie Whittle, author of The 15-Minute City

Notice that this new freedom doesn’t come without a sacrifice: Paris “evicted parking spaces.” People naturally fear that driving one’s car could become increasingly inconvenient and even punishable.

Lockdown vibes: During covid-19, people around the world were confined to their homes or restricted areas. Some cities issued fines if someone left his designated area. Governments in Canada and other Western nations tracked people’s movements. German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach even stated that the rules for covid-19 could be applied to save the climate.

Climate tyranny? Though the concept of 15-minute cities sounds wonderful, many wonder if we will end up in a climate tyranny. Will cars be abolished, travel restricted, our moves tracked, and our carbon footprint measured?

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry exposed the real reason for climate hysteria in his 2017 article “What the Paris Climate Agreement Was Really About”:

These “environmentalists” talk like the scientific community unanimously agrees that carbon dioxide emission reduction is the solution, and if we don’t take action immediately, the planet is doomed. The reality is that there is far from being a scientific consensus on this point. (Read our article “Greenhouse Apocalypse.”) In fact, examples abound of scientific fraud supposedly proving man-made climate change.

Why would scientists deceive the public on this topic? Well, if you see who is really behind it, you understand that the real issue here is control.