GLASGOW is set to be reshaped into ‘20-minute neighbourhoods’ to reduce the need to travel by car.

The approach will be developed by Glasgow City Council to allow people to meet their daily needs within 20 minutes of their homes by walking, wheeling or cycling.

It aims to cut car use for everyday journeys, such as to schools, shops and for healthcare.

Councillor Anna Richardson, city convener for sustainability and carbon reduction, said the scheme is about “creating safe and accessible spaces for people to make the most of their communities”.

“But it is also about changing how we travel about the city and where we have to travel to.”

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There would be 27 ‘liveable neighbourhoods’ in the city, with three already part of ongoing projects – the city centre Avenues programme, the Connecting Woodside project and the Yorkhill and Kelvingrove cycling village.

Under the new plans, the first four areas selected are: Hamiltonhill, Possilpark, Cowlairs and Port Dundas; Langside, Mount Florida and Toryglen; Greater Govan, Ibrox and Kingston; Dennistoun, Riddrie and Carntyne.

Extensive consultation will be held with the communities, the council has promised.

Cllr Richardson said: “At least half of the car journeys in the city are less than 3km in total, which is a quick trip to the shop for some supplies or collecting the children from school.

“These trips could easily take 15 minutes by bike or 30 minutes on foot, and it is these journeys we need to change.

“By making the spaces we use to travel through safer and more attractive, we can make walking, wheeling and cycling more accessible for those who wish to be more active while also reducing the city’s carbon footprint.”

She added: “The Covid pandemic has also transformed how we live and work with many people connecting with their own community far more strongly over the past year.

“It is sensible to try and work with these changes and Liveable Neighbourhoods shows a way ahead for the city.”

The concept of 20-minute neighbourhoods was pioneered in Melbourne, Australia, and has been followed in major cities in Europe, Asia and the Americas. It has been adopted by the Scottish Government in its programme for government.

Plans for the first phase in Glasgow should be complete by March 2022 and funding bids will be finished by October this year.

A council report on the proposal will go to the environment committee next week. It states: “It is possible to rebalance the way streets are designed and used, to make streetscapes more people friendly, better for socialising and commercial activity.”