Fifteen Minutes on Foot: How Post-Soviet Cities Manage Access to Essential Services
Researchers from HSE University and the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences analysed three major Russian cities to assess their alignment with the '15-minute city' concept—an urban design that ensures residents can easily access essential services and facilities within walking distance. Naberezhnye Chelny, where most residents live in Soviet-era microdistricts, demonstrated the highest levels of accessibility. In Krasnodar, fewer than half of residents can easily reach essential facilities on foot, and in Saratov, just over a third can. The article has been published in Regional Research of Russia.
Humanity is increasingly drawn to urban life, with both the number and size of cities continuing to grow. According to Rosstat, as of January 1, 2023, approximately 109.7 million people in Russia—around 75% of the country’s population—lived in cities. Alongside urban growth, problems in the urban environment are also intensifying, including social inequality, uneven access to infrastructure, and negative environmental impacts. The concept of a 15-minute city has been proposed as one potential solution to these problems, aiming to ensure equitable access to basic services and reduce pressure on transportation systems. It envisions cities designed so that every resident can reach essential services—such as education, healthcare, shopping, and leisure—within a 15-minute walk or bicycle ride.
Researchers at HSE University and the RAS Institute of Geography studied the accessibility of essential services in three major Russian cities: Krasnodar, Saratov, and Naberezhnye Chelny. These cities clearly demonstrate the diversity of urban environments, each with its own characteristics: the historically established centre in Saratov, the extensive private housing sector in Krasnodar, the Soviet-era microdistricts in Naberezhnye Chelny, and the ongoing development of modern high-rise apartment buildings in all three cities.
The researchers used urban infrastructure data from 2GIS and OSM to evaluate how easily residents of large cities can access various services on foot. The team analysed the locations of 23 types of urban facilities, including kindergartens, schools, hospitals, stores, public transport stops, and more, and calculated a comprehensive accessibility index for urban infrastructure.
Naberezhnye Chelny, where most residents live in Soviet-era microdistricts, proved to be the closest to the 15-minute city model. There, 74% of residents live within a 15-minute walk of all essential facilities they might need. In Saratov, where the hilly terrain fragments the urban space, only 34.7% enjoy this level of accessibility, while in Krasnodar—with its extensive areas of private low-rise housing—the figure is 46.5%.
The researchers paid particular attention to how service accessibility varies across different neighbourhood types: historical centres, Soviet-era microdistricts, modern high-rise residential blocks, and areas of low-rise private houses.
The highest accessibility was observed in historical centres, where essential facilities are concentrated and located within walking distance. These areas often include higher-tier urban services—such as theatres, museums, and universities—which significantly enhance residents' quality of life. Soviet-era microdistricts also delivered strong results, outperforming modern high-rise residential complexes, where housing development often outpaces the provision of necessary infrastructure.
The lowest accessibility was found in low-rise neighbourhoods, especially on the outskirts of cities, where the average walking time to infrastructure facilities was three times longer than in historical centres and twice as long as in Soviet-era microdistricts.
However, when focusing only on essential everyday facilities—such as stores, public transport stops, and schools—and excluding unique institutions like theatres or universities, the differences between cities become less pronounced, with 86% to 92% of residents in each city living within a 15-minute walk of essential services.
Petr Gonyukhov
'To improve the accessibility of essential facilities, which are often concentrated in city centres, it is important to develop transportation networks and establish smaller service hubs directly within residential neighbourhoods. A separate challenge in suburban private-housing areas is that shops and services tend to emerge spontaneously near bus stops and intersections, forcing residents to spend more time traveling to reach them,' explains Petr Gonyukhov, a master's student at the HSE Faculty of Urban and Regional Development and co-author of the article.
These recommendations are particularly relevant for post-Soviet cities, where most residents still live in typical Soviet-era buildings. To improve access to essential services in new neighbourhoods, it is important to establish additional activity hubs and develop public transportation systems.
'The accessibility index provides a clear picture of where cities already align with the concept of a comfortable urban space and where additional efforts are needed to improve infrastructure. This data is valuable for both urban planners and residents, as it helps identify critical areas and guide urban development efforts,' sums up Alexander Sheludkov, Associate Professor at the Joint Department with the RAS Institute of Geography of the HSE Faculty of Geography and Geoinformation Technology and co-author of the article.
The study was conducted as part of the Spatial Analysis and Modelling of Urban Processes project implemented by the Research and Study Group at the HSE Faculty of Geography and Geoinformation Technology.
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