法国学者卡洛斯·莫雷诺将于10月赴墨尔本出席大会，作为主讲嘉宾分享15分钟城市理念如何应对该市住房危机[1]。这一概念主张将工作、学校和基本生活服务置于居民步行15分钟范围内[1]，自2016年由莫雷诺提出以来，已获全球近100位市长采纳，尤其是在新冠疫情后获得广泛关注[1]。莫雷诺认为该理念对缓解住房可负担性问题和改善城市郊区居民生活条件至关重要[1]。
维多利亚州政府已在《维多利亚计划》中推行20分钟邻里政策[1]，墨尔本政府更进一步，已指定60个活动中心允许开发商绕过地方议会审批，建设高达20层的高密度公寓[1]。莫雷诺将以巴黎为示范案例：该市拥有1200公里受保护自行车道，25%的住房属于社会住房，少于20%的巴黎人拥有汽车[1]。
然而这一概念并非没有批评声音。哈佛经济学家爱德华·格莱泽曾在2021年指其为"死胡同"[1]，同时也存在关于监管权力和城市不平等等问题的担忧[1]。莫雷诺本人因推广该理念而收到死亡威胁[1]。
French urban scholar Carlos Moreno will deliver a keynote address at a Melbourne conference in October, advocating for the 15-minute city concept as a remedy to the region's acute housing shortage [1]. The model, which Moreno developed in 2016, calls for placing work, schools, and essential services within a 15-minute walk of residents' homes [1]. Nearly 100 city mayors worldwide have adopted the framework following the COVID-19 pandemic [1].
Moreno contends that the approach is essential for addressing housing affordability and improving living conditions in city suburbs, though the concept has faced criticism regarding regulation and inequality concerns [1]. The Victorian government has already begun implementing a similar strategy through its "Plan Melbourne," establishing a 20-minute neighborhood policy [1]. Melbourne's local government has designated 60 activity centers where developers can bypass local council approval to construct high-density apartments up to 20 stories tall [1].
In practice, the model draws lessons from Paris, where 1,200 kilometers of protected bicycle lanes exist, 25 percent of housing is social housing, and fewer than 20 percent of residents own cars [1]. However, the concept has encountered skepticism; Harvard economist Edward Glaeser dismissed it as a "dead end" in 2021 [1]. Moreno himself has faced significant backlash for promoting the framework, having received death threats [1].