Redefining investable infrastructure in developing nations in a postpandemic era: the case of the 15-Minute City

ABSTRACT

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have led developing nations to increasing debt ceilings, with an inability to invest in infrastructural developments that can benefit communities and societies, in favor of direct economic investment flows. While direct investment flows can lead to increasing employment, they do not have indirect benefits that can increase urban quality of life. An emerging concept of 15-Minute City showcases that how urban regeneration, through the precepts of chrono-urbanism, allows for proximity-based planning principles that increase the sustainability, resilience, and economic prosperity of neighborhoods. The direct beneficiaries of the funding of such a concept lead to higher quality of life, which indirectly can lead to higher economic returns;hence aligning with the precept that funding such programs can lead to higher economic resilience and vibrancy. This chapter explores the need to redefine "investable infrastructure” in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and in a postpandemic era. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.