Even the World Economic Forum (WEF) doesn't seem too keen on 15-minutes cities, which is surprising as they could become a key control mechanism and trojan horse for more societal divisions. The WEF explains:
One of the biggest urban ideas to emerge from the pandemic is the idea of the 15-minute city or 15-minute neighbourhood. Developed by French urbanist Carlos Moreno, 15-minute city refers to a place where all the necessities of daily life – shops, schools, workplaces, doctor’s offices, parks, libraries, restaurants and other amenities – are located in a short 15-minute walk or bike ride from home. In this way, each neighbourhood becomes an ‘isochrone’, an area that can be explored within a given time, giving all residents access to their needs a convenient walk away.
You don't need to be a conspiracy theorist to understand that when these 15 minute areas are saturated in CCTV cameras, a significant proportion of the life of everyone who lives there can be monitored and analysed in excruciating detail.
In fact AI will thrive on this kind of 'internet of people' (IoP) 24/7 data. But to whose benefit?
An even more worrying aspect is how this organization of cities is bound to increase xenophobia.
Why? because when your life is steeped in the familiar, people may come to