Master of Public Administration
Date
5-2025
Document Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Department
School of Professional Studies
Chief Instructor
Mary M. Piecewicz
Keywords
walkable city, sun setting costs, mixed use zoning, car free zones, zoning laws, citizen engagement
Abstract
The study of urban planning there has recently been a resurgence in the idea of a 15-minute city. A 15-minute city is a city where vital destinations are within a 15- minute walk or cycle from any resident. These cities flip the current car-centric method of transportation planning on its head, and instead ask planners to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists when designing streets. Previous studies show that 15-minute cities don’t just exist, they will take planning, infrastructure implementation, and possibly most importantly, resident buy-in. It is hard to achieve change in cities without having the support of your residents. Becoming a more walkable Worcester will require municipal staff to convince there is a different and better way to plan our cities and roadways. The City of Worcester is working hard to create community buy-in for micro mobility infrastructure improvements. However, with limited staff and high workloads, it is hard to find time to create and implement comprehensive engagement strategies. It is also time-consuming to analyse the effectiveness of your campaigns after the fact. Just holding a community meeting no longer captures all residents and allows the voices of a few residents to dictate the future of the many. We need innovative plans and strategies that involve new technology and engage residents where they are.
Recommended Citation
Mount, Sarah, "Creating the 15-minute City: Public Engagement Strategies to Move People Away from Cars and Towards a More Walkable Worcester" (2025). Master of Public Administration. 1.
https://commons.clarku.edu/mpa/1
Worcester
Yes
