Two More Baby Steps to An Orwellian Society

15-Minute Cities and the Digital ID in the UK

The Road to Dystopia?

Imagine a world where you never have to leave your neighborhood for anything: work, school, groceries, healthcare, and leisure are all within a short walk or bike ride. It sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? But now imagine that this self-contained paradise comes with strings attached: your every movement is monitored, your choices are limited, and your ability to travel beyond your assigned zone is scrutinised. What begins as a vision for sustainability and convenience could easily morph into a digital panopticon, echoing the warnings of dystopian literature. Recent developments in the UK, such as news about 15-minute cities and the digitization of driver’s licenses, raise pressing concerns.

15-Minute Cities: The Utopian Ideal with a Dark Underside

The concept of 15-minute cities has gained significant traction in urban planning circles, with advocates touting their ability to reduce emissions, foster community, and improve quality of life. By designing cities so that essential services are accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride, proponents argue that these urban hubs can reduce car dependency, combat climate change, and create more equitable societies.

However, there is authoritarian potential embedded within this ostensibly utopian idea. If implemented, the framework of 15-minute cities could lead to restrictions on personal freedom. In dystopian literature, utopias often take this dark turn—visions of perfection evolve into oppressive regimes that sacrifice individuality and liberty for collective goals.

Take Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We, for example. In this seminal dystopian novel, society is divided into regimented zones, and every aspect of citizens’ lives is monitored to ensure conformity. The novel’s protagonist initially believes in the efficiency of this system but soon discovers the dehumanising cost of surrendering freedom to the collective. Similarly, the zonal structure of 15-minute cities could be exploited to restrict movement, turning convenience into control.

Digital Driver’s Licenses: A Gateway to Digital ID Systems

In parallel with the push for 15-minute cities, another seemingly unrelated development has emerged: the digitisation of driver’s licenses in the UK. The government’s announcement of digital licenses—part of a broader modernisation of public services—may seem like a logical step in the digital age. Proponents argue that such measures simplify processes and reduce bureaucracy.

But digital licenses are not merely a convenience. They are a stepping stone toward comprehensive digital identification systems, which consolidate personal data into a single, centralised platform. Such systems could be leveraged to monitor and control citizens, particularly when combined with surveillance technologies like those proposed for 15-minute cities.

In George Orwell’s 1984, surveillance is a central mechanism of control. Big Brother watches every action, ostensibly for the collective good. Similarly, the infrastructure required for digital IDs and smart cities—including cameras, geofencing, and real-time data collection—could enable governments to track individuals’ movements and enforce compliance with policies under the guise of environmental or public safety goals.

Utopian Dreams, Dystopian Realities

Dystopian literature often illustrates how utopian ideals, once implemented, can spiral into oppressive systems. These cautionary tales provide a lens through which we can examine the potential risks of 15-minute cities and digital IDs:

1. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451: In this novel, society’s pursuit of happiness and convenience leads to the suppression of books and independent thought. While people are lulled into complacency by the ease of their lives, they lose their ability to think critically or resist authority. Similarly, the promise of sustainability and convenience in 15-minute cities could blind citizens to the creeping erosion of their freedoms.

2. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World: Huxley’s society is structured to maximize comfort and efficiency, but individuality is sacrificed. People accept their roles without question, believing they live in a perfect world. The parallels to digital IDs and 15-minute cities are clear: by promising a greener, easier lifestyle, such initiatives could lead to a system where dissent is stifled and choices are limited.

3. Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go: The characters in this novel live within confined spaces and are conditioned to accept their fate. The illusion of normalcy prevents them from recognizing their lack of freedom. In a similar vein, the normalisation of localised zones and digital IDs could create a society where citizens willingly accept restrictions, unaware of the freedoms they’ve lost.

4. Karin Boye’s Kallocain describes a society structured into districts. In the novel, the Worldstate, a totalitarian regime, organises society into meticulously controlled districts or zones, where citizens' lives are rigidly monitored and dictated by the state. Movement between these districts is heavily restricted, and the central authority exercises control over individuals under the guise of ensuring collective security and efficiency.

The Infrastructure of Control

To implement 15-minute cities and digital IDs effectively, a vast infrastructure of surveillance and data collection would be required. Cameras would monitor movement within zones, apps could track travel patterns, and digital IDs might store carbon footprints, travel history, and even social behaviors. This mirrors the technological control seen in dystopian works like E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops, where humanity becomes entirely dependent on a central system that dictates every aspect of life.

In the UK, the combination of digital driver’s licenses and 15-minute cities creates the potential for such a system. For example, digital IDs could be used to enforce zonal restrictions, tracking how often individuals leave their designated areas and penalising them for exceeding certain thresholds. What begins as a tool for convenience could easily become a mechanism for control.

Public Skepticism and Resistance

Not everyone is buying into the vision of 15-minute cities and digital IDs. There are already examples of smart city initiatives where surveillance has been misused. For instance, in China, the integration of digital IDs with social credit systems has raised alarm worldwide. Similar technologies could be introduced incrementally in democratic nations, with initial steps framed as harmless modernisation efforts.

In dystopian literature, initial public acceptance is often a key step toward authoritarian control. In The Circle by Dave Eggers, society embraces transparency and interconnectedness, only to realise too late that they’ve sacrificed privacy and autonomy. The same dynamic could unfold with 15-minute cities and digital IDs if citizens do not remain vigilant.

As we stand at this crossroads, the lessons of dystopian literature are more relevant than ever. These cautionary tales remind us that utopian visions can mask dangerous realities if left unchecked. The promise of a greener, more convenient future must not come at the cost of privacy, autonomy, and freedom. By remaining vigilant and questioning the systems being introduced, we can work toward a world that genuinely balances progress with liberty.

Why the UK is Working with Malaysia

Recently, there was an announcement of a new 15-minute city development in the UK. This project is being built in collaboration with Malaysia. The new town will be built by the Malaysian-owned YTL Group, and will be based on the Bristol and South Gloucestershire border.

“The project is being designed to allow people to access essential services - workplaces, schools, shops, public transport and healthcare - within a 15-minute radius of their home.” The BBC reports.

Image published by the YTL Group.

At first glance it seems ironic that a former colony of the UK is going to built these dystopian structures on UK soil. However, Malaysia is a logical choice considering the progress that has already been made within that country towards these new cities.

In Malaysia, the 15-minute city concept is gaining traction, with developments like Elmina City Centre and Sunway City Kuala Lumpur embodying this urban planning model. Elmina City Centre is designed to ensure that every convenience is within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. Similarly, Sunway City Kuala Lumpur has been highlighted as Malaysia's own 15-minute city, integrating residential, commercial, educational, and recreational facilities within close proximity.

This is also another reminder that the concept of the nation state is gradually being eroded. The global elite are incrementally consolidating more and more power and resources to build their vision of the future. A future where citizens are no longer human, but exist as human material for exploitation.