CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
In case you are still recovering from the ‘Aboriginal Land Tax’ or any number of other conspiracy theories that have been peddled throughout Australian politics, you might not be aware of the low-level debates surrounding town-planning.
A 15-minute city is an urban planning concept where all amenities are available within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. But after the entire world lost their minds in the pandemic lockdowns, a conspiracy arose claiming it as part of a global plot to allow governments to control their populations.
27-year-old YouTube academic, Jayseighn, says it’s not a conspiracy. It’s the truth.
“It’s tyrannical socialism” says Jayseighn, using words he did not know or care about until an airborne viral outbreak forced him indoors to stare at a screen for three years.
“It’s just them trying to control us”
Jayseighn’s staunch opposition to the mere concept of decentralising the population are interesting, considering his outspoken hatred for the billionaire elites who will suffer most if the less cars are on the roads and the property market is punctured by an exodus from the cities.
It’s also surprising given the young man’s employment status, as one of the many rural Australian struggling to find consistent work.
In fact, the idea of having everything you need close to your house, without needing to drive to reach it, should seem like something that Jayseighn would be a supporter of.
But this is not the case, because while the original idea is based on rethinking urban planning to make sure no one is traveling more than 15 minutes to essential services, the online radicalisation of media illiterate social media users has falsely conjured a dystopian vision where people are forcibly prevented from leaving their homes.
“Nah fuck that” says Jayseighn, as he begins to describe the perils of living in a small town with adequate services and employment opportunities, much like the one he grew up in, before the automanufacturing was relocated to China for cheaper labour, and before the base hospital lost all of their staff to the 50 minute commutes of megatropolis living.
