A Policy and Strategy tool for 20-minute neighbourhoods in the Edinburgh City-Region

This project would take a data-driven approach to enhancing local government decision making capacities on the development of ’20-minute neighbourhoods’. These are places where citizens can access the facilities and services they need within a 20 minute walk from home. This concept is not just good urban design practice, it is being actively championed by the Scottish Government and RTPI, catalysed by the importance of local areas emphasised during Covid-19 restrictions and new work-life patterns emerging.

Two core aims of the project:

• To provide an indepth, data-driven analysis of the Wester Hailes site’s potential as a 20-minute neighbourhood and to provide recommendations for its future development in accordance with this analysis.
• To develop the basis for a Smarter Places Scenario Toolkit drawing on a variety of data forms which can be used to assess the potential impact on placemaking and walkability of gap-site development across the city-region.