The next level of the urban innovation: from the 15 minute city to the synergic smart city

Abstract

Colombian urban planner Carlos Moreno, who first introduced the concept of the "15-minute city", brought a new vision and perception to the metropolis of the last decade, realigning the urban experience to ensure that every essential service is accessible within a short walk or a bike ride. This concept encouraged a sustainable lifestyle, reducing dependence on cars and promoting the principles of smart mobility. The concept emphasizes the importance of creating human-centered cities where residents' well-being and convenience are paramount, supporting ecological sustainability by reducing pollution and promoting greener urban spaces. Implementing this concept in metropolises such as Paris, Melbourne, Milan, Bogotá, Portland, and Shanghai posed several challenges, thus announcing, 10 years later, the next stage of urban innovation: "Synergic Smart City". This new paradigm, which combines advanced technologies with a holistic design philosophy based on sustainable development and infrastructure, aims to create cities that are not only intelligent but also deeply adapted to the rhythms of human life. The ultimate goal is to recreate urban environments where technology and humanity coexist harmoniously, enhancing everyday life through seamless integration. This article presents how the transition from the 15-minute City to the Synergic Smart City is achieved through innovative strategies that introduce and explain new concepts such as Predictive Urbanism, which uses artificial intelligence and big data to anticipate and respond to the evolving needs of residents, and sustainable infrastructures are powered by renewable energies and form the backbone of these cities. Autonomous mobility and smart resource management ensure efficiency, while collaborative digital platforms create a framework for citizens to actively participate in their urban experience. The key message of this article is that the adoption of this innovative synergistic smart city model represents a shift towards sustainable urbanism, highlighting the transformative power of technology in synergy with the essence of human experience, thus proposing a prototype of cities that are not only smart but also deeply human.