From around 2020, cities including Paris, Melbourne and others adopted 'proximity' or 15-minute-city planning, in which residents can reach daily needs such as work, shopping, schools, healthcare and leisure within a short walk or cycle. The concept was popularised by Carlos Moreno and championed politically by Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, who built it into her re-election platform and reallocated street space to walking and cycling. Implementation typically involves mixing uses within neighbourhoods, decentralising services, and reclaiming road capacity for pedestrians. The idea spread quickly through the C40 network of mayors during the pandemic.
It turned a long-standing critique of zoning's separation of uses back into statutory ambition and a marketable urban brand. By tying climate, health and equity goals to everyday proximity, it reframed how walkability is planned and measured.