Spatial and Configurational Analysis for the Implementation of the 15-Minute City Model. The Case Study of Perugia, Italy

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the spatial injustice resulting from unequal access to basic services in urban areas. This underscores the importance of urban models focusing on criteria of active transport incentivization, building density optimization, proximity and diversity of primary and secondary uses, and the design of multi-functional urban spaces. This study investigates the criteria of density, diversity, and proximity as the foundational concept of urban models alternative to the modernist paradigm. The study develops a set of quantitative indicators to evaluate the potential implementation of the 15-minute city model in distinct parts of an urbanized area. The city of Perugia in Italy is selected as the case study. The proposed set of indicators is based on open, validated, and continuously integrated data. It combines urban form metrics, Place Syntax indicators, statistical and configurational metrics to measure the conditions of building density, diversity, proximity of services, and imageability of the urban spatial structure. The study addresses the need for tools that increase the transparency and impact of public policies. The proposed indicators can assist public agencies and local governments in identifying deprived areas, defining objectives of regeneration strategies, and measuring the outcomes of urban regeneration interventions.