Justice at the core: Rethinking the 15-min city for just urban futures

The 15-min city concept, which advocates for urban neighbourhoods where essential services are accessible within a 15-min walk or cycle, has gained substantial attention as a model for promoting sustainable and equitable urban environments. However, while the 15-min city promises a just and equitable urban environment, concerns have emerged regarding its potential to produce unjust outcomes and socio-spatial inequalities, highlighting the need for critical scrutiny from a social justice perspective. Despite its significance, few studies have explored the contribution of the 15-min city to social justice. This study addresses this gap by critically examining how, and to what extent, social justice values are represented in the 15-min city academic literature. A structured content analysis of existing literature was undertaken, guided by four key questions: (1) How is social justice represented in the definitions and conceptualisations of the 15-min city? (2) How and to what extent do the principles of the 15-min city advocate social justice? (3) What potential concerns and justice-related challenges are discussed in the literature? and (4) What recommendations are proposed to promote social justice in the literature? Our findings suggest that while social justice is acknowledged within the theoretical framework of the 15-min city and demonstrates promising potential for fostering equitable urban environments, a more deliberate integration of social justice values as a guiding principle is essential. Accordingly, this study recommends the establishment of robust equity monitoring mechanisms, the institutionalisation of participatory planning processes, and the implementation of inclusivity audits. • Critically examines the integration of social justice values into the 15-min city framework. • Identifies less considered justice dimensions within existing 15-min city research. • Provides conceptual recommendations to address justice-related challenges, ensuring the 15-min city fosters equitable and sustainable urban futures.