The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Scotland has published a policy briefing paper which looks at the 20 minute neighbourhood concept and how it can be embedded in Scottish planning policy and practice.
… a model of urban development that creates neighbourhoods where daily services can be accessed within a 20 minute walk…
RTPI Scotland writes:
The Covid-19 pandemic has had an immediate, and likely a lasting effect, on how we use towns and cities to live, work and play in. 20 minute neighbourhoods are a concept of urban development that has ascended rapidly in the minds of policymakers, politicians and the general public across the world. The basic premise is a model of urban development that creates neighbourhoods where daily services can be accessed within a 20 minute walk. This briefing paper focuses on the role planning policy and practice and place-based partnerships can have in delivering the concept in Scotland. This report recommends a range of areas of planning policy, development management and public service delivery which could be adjusted to include interventions to support 20 minute neighbourhoods. The on-going planning reform in Scotland, including the implementation of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 through drafting of the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), secondary legislation and guidance, provides an excellent opportunity to do so.
Policy and guidance opportunity areas identified:
- NPF4 and LDP policies including transport, density, services and green infrastructure
- Designing Streets policy statement
- Creating Places policy statement
- Open Space Strategies
- Woodland and Forestry Strategies.
- Play sufficiency assessments
- Digital Planning Strategy
Development management procedures identified:
- Pre-application process
- Planning obligations
- Outcome focused performance measures
The briefing concludes with a discussion on the role of placed-based partnerships, focusing in particular on the role for the Place Principle and Local Place Plans in supporting delivery of 20 minute neighbourhoods.
