15 minute city: Revolution in Södertälje? : A study on how the concept of 15 minute city can be applied to Södertälje.

Abstract: In a society where everything must be within the vicinity and accessible, people face challenges like climate, segregation and inequality. All people have the right to services such as education, care, work and housing without being prevented by unsustainable urban planning. Sustainable urban planning can define several things, but something all definitions have in common is that they use strategic plans. One such well spoken about is the "15 minute city" which was introduced in 2016 by the urbanist and professor Carlos Moreno. The concept is about an accessible city, in terms of services, education, care, work and more, for residents within a 15 minute walk or bike ride. Attempts to apply the 15 minute city can be seen in several cities around the world and partially in Stockholm, Sweden. An example is in Södertälje, a suburb in Stockholm county, which is characterized by the car centric city. The swedish policy “ Trafik för en attraktiv stad” (TRAST) helps sektion with urban planning and sustainability with focus on traffic. Because of these guidelines and Södertäljes oversight plan over their whole urban area it would be of interest to investigate how well the 15 minute city can be applied in Södertälje and its relation to the district of Ronna. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential Södertälje has in becoming a 15 minute city, in regards to the swedish policy document TRAST. In addition, studying whether the strategic plan can complement Södertälje's oversight plan of the entire city. The method that was applied consisted of literature study and case study where literature was gathered, for example, via search engines like Web of Science and Diva Portal. The case study consisted of two site visits, one earlier and one later in the day. The result and the analysis indicate that several aspects in Södertäljes oversight planning of their area and TRAST match that of the 15 minute city. Introducing this type of planning in the city requires, for example, that several barriers or the carsdomination in the urban area be remedied or reduced, which can provide opportunities for pedestrians and cyclists. The conclusions drawn from the results are that the introduction of the 15-minute city concept in the urban area, Södertälje, is possible. At last at recommendation to continuation of the study is a case study would consist of a city that has recently applied the 15 minute city and compare the effects of this more concretely.