Overview of relevant 15mC initiatives

The PROWD (PROximity Without Density) project aims to re-conceptualise the 15-minute City (15mC) notion for Low-Density Urban Areas (LDUAs) within metropolitan contexts, moving beyond the typical focus on dense city cores. The project combines academic research with practical implementation, testing innovative local solutions in collaboration with residents and stakeholders in four European metropolitan areas: Rome, Lisbon, Bucharest and Vilnius.
Deliverable 1.1 served as a foundational literature review, providing an analytical backdrop for subsequent local developments. This review directly informs Deliverable 1.2, which involves mapping and selecting relevant 15mC initiatives, particularly non-conventional solutions (as defined in the methodology section below), to serve as the bedrock for the 15mC transition in the project’s selected demonstration sites.
Deliverable 1.2 identified and mapped 12 innovative “lighthouse initiatives” across six European countries that apply 15-minute city principles to Low-Density Urban Areas (LDUAs). These initiatives were chosen for their relevance to LDUAs and their potential to be transferred to PROWD’s demonstration sites. The initiatives represent three different LDUA typologies and include examples from all four PROWD pilot cities: Rome, Lisbon, Bucharest, and Vilnius.
Building on this, Deliverable 1.3 will provide an in-depth analysis of these 12 initiatives. The analysis will use a mixed-methods approach that combines desktop research with interviews to uncover challenges, success factors, and lessons learned. It will act as a crucial knowledge base for the PROWD project, directly informing the co-design of future transition pathways. It will offer practical insights and guidance for practitioners and policymakers, helping to identify scalable solutions and avoid common pitfalls in urban transformation projects