According to a report by the British “Guardian” on the 16th, a latest study published in the journal “Nature Cities” showed that 99.2% of Zurich residents live within a 15-minute walk to basic service facilities such as medical care and education, while only 2.5% of San Antonio residents in Texas, USA can do this.

By calculating the average distance residents have to walk or ride a bike to reach basic service facilities such as supermarkets, schools and hospitals, researchers found the proportion of residents who can easily get necessities. The results show that only a small number of the world's 10,000 cities can be considered "15-minute cities." After a detailed investigation of 54 cities, researchers found that in medium-sized European cities such as Zurich, Milan, Copenhagen and Dublin, more than 95% of residents can reach places where basic services are provided within 15 minutes; in European metropolises such as Berlin and Paris, more than 90% of residents can also have this living condition. At the bottom of the ranking are North American cities that are highly dependent on cars, such as San Antonio, Dallas and Atlanta.

Urban planners and doctors point to reducing car dependence as an effective way to help people live healthier and safer lives, the report said. However, researchers warned that this is not enough to get residents to give up their cars. The Netherlands has the best cycling infrastructure in Europe, but has more cars per capita than countries such as Ireland and Hungary.