Misinformation Alert: 15 minute cities

In late 2022 to early 2023, a traffic calming scheme in Oxford became the centre of an international conspiracy theory. The conspiracy has surfaced again and again online and offline and has even been repeated by UK politicians, including government ministers, who might have been swayed by a vocal minority. Now, it feels like most people have heard of '15 minute cities'.  

But how did we get here? Was this kind of conspiracy theory predictable, or even inevitable? And does it change how we should communicate about transport policies that benefit climate change? In this post:  

What’s going on? How exactly did Oxford become the centre of an international conspiracy theory? 

Who’s involved? Are Persuadables genuinely affected by this?  

How to get ahead. Tips for dealing with conspiracy theories, and for communicating about transport to Persuadables.