open access publication

Article, 2022

Restructuring urban planning to facilitate sustainable consumption

Frontiers in Sustainability, ISSN 2673-4524, Volume 3, Page 918546, 10.3389/frsus.2022.918546

Contributors

Samson, Caroline 0000-0002-7924-3456 (Corresponding author) [1] Freudendal-Pedersen, Malene 0000-0001-5140-701X [1]

Affiliations

  1. [1] Aalborg University
  2. [NORA names: AAU Aalborg University; University; Denmark; Europe, EU; Nordic; OECD]

Abstract

Food, mobility, and housing are essential and fundamental to human life. At the same time, these consumption areas have the highest climate impact. To achieve a higher degree of climate-friendly consumption, radical changes in everyday practices of food, mobility, and housing are needed. In this paper, empirical data demonstrates that time is perceived as a limited resource in everyday life which drives (un)sustainable practices. Through discussions of the perception of time and related practices, it becomes visible that urban mobility planning connects specific food and housing practices through an understanding of historical and contemporary urban planning supporting time efficiency. This indicates that rethinking urban forms and infrastructure can provide frames that can restructure everyday practices to become more sustainable. To exemplify this, the 15-minute city concept is used as a speculative example of how to restructure everyday practices and facilitate a planning approach that is aligned with sustainable consumption.

Keywords

Urban Mobility Plans, approach, area, changes, city, city concept, climate impacts, climate-friendly consumption, concept, consumption, consumption areas, contemporary urban planning, data, degree, discussion, efficiency, empirical data, everyday life, everyday practice, food, form, frame, highest climate impact, housing, housing practices, human life, impact, infrastructure, life, mobility, mobility planning, perception, perception of time, planning, planning approach, practice, practices of food, radical change, resources, sustainable consumption, time, time efficiency, urban form, urban planning

Data Provider: Digital Science