February 24, 2021
The pandemic has redefined many of our boundaries in various ways. Beloved people and places are suddenly out of reach and our immediate surroundings shape us even more than they did before. The neighborhoods we decide to call home have a direct impact on our health; they shape our access to education, culture and nature and influence our sense of wellbeing.
The concept of the 20-minute neighborhood has become an emergent narrative in city design, spotlighted by the pandemic. The basic concept refers to neighborhoods designed to ensure that residents have access to everything they need within a twenty-minute walk or bike ride from their home.
According to Gensler 20-minute neighborhoods offer:
- Easy access to goods and services, particularly groceries, fresh food and healthcare
- Clean air, free of harmful air pollutants, plus public green spaces
- A variety of housing types, of different sizes and levels of affordability, to accommodate many types of households and enable more people to live closer to work
- Smaller-scale offices, retail and hospitality and co-working spaces that allow people to work closer to home.
Vista Canyon was designed to be a truly innovative place in terms of architecture and urban planning: walkable, transit-oriented and environmentally sensitive. Living, working, shopping and recreation areas are all planned close to each other, helping to create a sense of small-town community among the people who live and work here.
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