How robust public transit in a great city unlocks more opportunity than 15-minute cities ever could
The lockdowns of the pandemic inspired many to take a closer look at their neighborhoods, taking stock of what they can and cannot access nearby. Is there a place to buy food, consult a doctor or meet someone for a coffee or drink? All at once, neighborhoods where services, culture and even a job could be conveniently reached without relying on cars or mass transit became an urgent aspiration.
Although the idea of self-sufficient, walkable neighborhoods has been around for decades, among city planners and urban policymakers, this concept has more recently gained currency as the “15-minute city.” This planning philosophy asserts that personal services, public space, retail amenities and even employment should be within a 15-minute walk (or bike ride) from home, improving not only the quality of life for those long tied to car travel or tedious commutes but also making cities overall more sustainable.
These goals shouldn’t be controversial. Amenity-rich neighborhoods and manageable, or even enjoyable, commutes are part and parcel of what makes the world’s best cities work. But what is often lost in planning discourse is that neighborhood-level consumption alone is insufficient to support world-class amenities, goods and services that depend on the spending driven by millions of consumers.
Put differently, the 36 different lines of the city’s subway system drive more than just the economics of New York’s neighborhoods; they ensure the cultural and social diversity of the city as a whole. It is the subway that gives New Yorkers, no matter what neighborhood or borough they live in, unparalleled access to a multitude of services, culture, products and, perhaps most importantly, employment.
What is often lost in planning discourse is that neighborhood-level consumption alone is insufficient to support world-class amenities, goods and services that depend on the spending driven by millions of consumers.
Consider specialized clusters like the Diamond District, the Garment District or the Theater District. These are not around the corner from home for the majority of New Yorkers, yet they are easily reached, and sustained, by the multiple train lines that converge near them.
The same applies to great health care centers. New York City is home to several top-flight hospitals. Robust public transit provides access to them for city dwellers and, thanks to a connected regional transit system, those living beyond the five boroughs. That medical specialist in a rare bone disease can thrive in New York City because of the volume of patients who can reach her. And someone with that rare bone disease who lives in the South Bronx can get to her appointment without much trouble.
In these districts, medical professionals and researchers can better perform their duties with other experts nearby — if not in the same building, then a reasonable distance away. Customers value these interconnected clusters of similar businesses and related services too, because they can comparison-shop, get better prices and access everything related to, say, jewelry in one place. Transit access also makes it possible for employees with specialized skill sets to get to work — and then they continue the virtuous cycle of economic agglomeration by also supporting the services and amenities near their place of employment.
How the subway helps Jackson Heights
The impact of the subway’s role in successful retail also holds at the neighborhood level. Let’s consider Jackson Heights. With over 160 languages spoken, it is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the country. The neighborhood’s retail landscape reflects this diversity: There are Colombian arepa shops, Indian sari stores and Tibetan momo carts. One of our favorites, Libreria Barco de Papel, is located on 80th Street and is the city’s only Spanish-language bookstore. All of these stores and services, located within just a few city blocks, can’t survive off neighborhood residents alone.
For businesses that cater to very particular interests or needs, being able to draw customers from a wider area is key to their success.
In fact, Jackson Heights is just two subway stops away from Manhattan and at the intersection of four major subway lines. Brick-and-mortar businesses, especially niche retailers and small businesses like Libreria Barco de Papel, survive and thrive off of access to a broad customer base. For businesses that cater to very particular interests or needs, being able to draw customers from a wider area is key to their success.
Additionally, a robust and complementary set of goods and services means visiting customers will likely stay longer — increasing what is known as “dwell time” — and spend more money on other businesses in the neighborhood. The Spanish bookstore benefits from being next door to the Colombian arepa shop — and it is this colocation that further encourages customers to travel longer distances to patronize multiple stores during a single visit. Simply put, it is the subway that makes the 15-minute city more robust than it otherwise might be for the more than 100,000 residents of Jackson Heights.
Going forward
So, what can be done to leverage this valuable asset? We are not here to litigate the merits of congestion pricing, but imagine how much more sustainable and vibrant the city’s neighborhoods could be with a well-funded, well-functioning subway system — and imagine how many more neighborhoods could thrive if the subway system were expanded beyond its current footprint. To name just one example that lingers in policy limbo, the Brooklyn-Queens Interborough Express would bring scale and access to countless neighborhoods that are currently less connected to the subway’s transit lines.
There are also plenty of things we can do at a smaller scale, and with fewer dollars, to better connect our city to itself so that we’re not striving to create islands of 15-minute cities but a bigger, more dynamic, interconnected network of neighborhoods.
Micromobility investments, like more e-bikes and a network of safe routes to get to and from subway stops, would increase the functionality and utility of the subway as a mode of transit. We could make the subways more bike-friendly for those who need to bring their bikes with them — like delivery workers — by adding runnels, narrow-wheel ramps on stairs that enable a rider to roll a bike wheel, which are fairly common in Europe. Additionally, as e-bikes become more popular and more expensive, secure bike parking infrastructure at stations (which cyclists have continued to request) could promote mixed-mode travel while also helping to overcome the last-mile challenge.
There are also plenty of things we can do at a smaller scale, and with fewer dollars, to better connect our city to itself so that we’re not striving to create islands of 15-minute cities but a bigger, more dynamic, interconnected network of neighborhoods.
Most critically, New York City could leverage one of its most powerful tools, zoning, to direct and augment commercial, cultural and retail activity strategically near subway stations. For example, many cities, including New York, have implemented zoning regulations that require ground-floor retail in both well-trafficked and remote areas, resulting in an oversupply of vacant retail spaces. The existing subway infrastructure provides a literal road map to where commercial uses should be redirected. Strategically mapping and concentrating commercial activity where it naturally thrives — around subway entrances and exits — would not only boost business viability but also enhance the utility of the subway system as a connector to goods, services and culture, 24 hours, seven days a week.
The wonders of a convenient five-block neighborhood lifestyle in New York City are not possible without the sprawling and comprehensive reach of a public transit system. This is because neighborhood-level consumption alone is insufficient to support world-class amenities, goods and services that are dependent on the spending driven by millions of consumers. The 15-minute city is a nice idea. Having a world of opportunity accessible within 45 minutes by train is a fundamental characteristic of great cities.