Green Infrastructure in the 15-Minute City: Ecological Resilience and Urban Sustainability

Nowadays ecological and social challenges of cities make sustainable urban planning frameworks increasingly essential. This research addresses a need to respond to critical urban issues of biodiversity loss, urban heat islands and carbon sequestration simultaneously while improving the livability and sustainability of cities.This study uses a review-based methodology to investigate the relationship between Green Infrastructure (GI) and the 15-minute city framework. The review was rooted in a large document foundation gained through a comprehensive literature search from sources such as databases like Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Springer. It identifies key concepts, challenges, and opportunities in urban planning, environmental design and climate adaptation through a review of scholarly literature, policy documents and case studies. The study explores how GI can improve the 15-minute city model, using global examples such as Paris, Melbourne and Portland. Sustainable urban land use strategies are shown by initiatives such as Melbourne’s "Grey to Green" project and the "Green Factor" tool. The research also considers emerging tools such as GIS-based systems and participatory planning models for addressing equity challenges and precluding green gentrification. GI’s environmental and social benefits, including mitigating urban heat islands, conserving biodiversity, and increasing carbon sequestration are evaluated alongside its social benefits, including fostering social interactions, reducing stress and increasing mental health. These effects are quantified using ecosystem service evaluation frameworks. The study compares selected cities and identifies best practices and scalable strategies for integrating GI into dense urban environments. This review synthesizes literature and case studies to offer actionable insights for improving GI in 15-minute cities, including strategies to improve ecological resilience, social equity, and measuring environmental and societal impacts.