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Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality
In car-clogged urban areas across the world, the humble bicycle is enjoying a second life as a legitimate form of transportation. City officials are rediscovering it as a multi-pronged (or -spoked) solution to acute, 21st-century problems, including affordability, obesity, congestion, climate change, inequity, and social isolation. As the world’s foremost cycling nation, the Netherlands is the only country where the number of bikes exceeds the number of people, primarily because the Dutch have built a cycling culture accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or economic means.Chris and Melissa Bruntlett share the incredible success of the Netherlands through engaging interviews with local experts and stories of their own delightful experiences riding in five Dutch cities. Building the Cycling City examines the triumphs and challenges of the Dutch while also presenting stories of North American cities already implementing lessons from across the Atlantic. Discover how Dutch cities inspired Atlanta to look at its transit-bike connection in a new way and showed Seattle how to teach its residents to realize the freedom of biking, along with other encouraging examples.Tellingly, the Dutch have two words for people who ride wielrenner (“wheel runner”) and fietser (“cyclist”), the latter making up the vast majority of people pedaling on their streets, and representing a far more accessible, casual, and inclusive style of urban cycling—walking with wheels. Outside of their borders, a significant cultural shift is needed to seamlessly integrate the bicycle into everyday life and create a whole world of fietsers. The Dutch blueprint focuses on how people in a particular place want to move.The relatable success stories will leave readers inspired and ready to adopt and implement approaches to make their own cities better places to live, work, play, and—of course—cycle.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2018
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2012 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
September 30, 2018
Book about success stories in building bike-friendly cities. Mostly about Dutch cities, but also from other places like New York and Vancouver. The book fawns over the Dutch a lot, using the metaphor "Dutch DNA" and repeatedly pointing out that they bike regularly without thinking about it. There are a lot of success stories in many Dutch cities: Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven and more.
There are some interesting content, such as bike as vans as well as "avid biker" vs "regular person who bikes" distinction. But overall, this book gives a lot of praises and inspiration, but IMO, not a lot of practical lessons. I wish more cities are bike-friendly and "human scale", but after reading this book I'm still not sure how to make Mountain View, California, or Pekanbaru, Indonesia more bike friendly. I wish in addition to the success stories, the book also talks about challenges and not-so-success stories in other cities too, and discuss more about strategy.
There are some interesting content, such as bike as vans as well as "avid biker" vs "regular person who bikes" distinction. But overall, this book gives a lot of praises and inspiration, but IMO, not a lot of practical lessons. I wish more cities are bike-friendly and "human scale", but after reading this book I'm still not sure how to make Mountain View, California, or Pekanbaru, Indonesia more bike friendly. I wish in addition to the success stories, the book also talks about challenges and not-so-success stories in other cities too, and discuss more about strategy.
July 6, 2022
The byline to this book should be “Socialism in Action” because this sort of society only exists in the socialist democracies of Western Europe, where I’ve lived for many years. This is the boogeyman Fox News uses to scare the daylights out of the ignorant hicks who tune in to their smorgasbord of lies and filth. This is what you are supposed to be afraid of: people who are healthy and happy and shape the way their cities are built instead of letting national franchises dictate every urban structure.
We get legions of Dutch tourists here on holiday and I can say without a doubt that they are the fittest, best-looking nationality on the planet. They mostly flock to Valencia because of the weather, the beaches, and the biking. I hang out in the bike rental shop my friends own and talk to people from the Netherlands all the time. I hear stories of their cycling culture, of how they ride every day, how some kids ride one hundred kilometers a week to go to school and back. They should be an inspiration for everyone.
A British TV series did a couple of segments on my friends’ shop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgJ2D...
If you’ve never visited or lived in a bike-friendly city, you are letting one of the best things in life pass you by. I’ve been a cycling my entire life. I lived in downtown Seattle for a long time and, although I had a car, I rode my bike everywhere. Driving in Seattle was a nightmare, and much worse in the suburban areas, places I avoided at all costs.
When I first arrived in Valencia, it was a moderately progressive city when it came to cycling. I dreamed back then about living in Copenhagen or Amsterdam to experience a truly bike-centered life. With the election of our mayor six years ago, Valencia has made great strides to become more like these two cycling meccas.
In the past two year, the city’s historic center had become almost completely pedestrianized. It’s been quite remarkable to witness this metamorphosis first-hand. The bike infrastructure in Valencia has improved radically so we now call ourselves the Amsterdam of the Mediterranean. Bike culture hasn’t really caught on as I would have hoped and more eScooters are being sold here than bikes, but conditions have vastly improved for people who ride.
If you combine this with the dense urban setting, living without a car is not only possible, but infinitely easier than driving. I would imagine that this sort of life has never occurred to the majority of Americans.
A related post from my blog:
https://leftbankview.blogspot.com/201...
We get legions of Dutch tourists here on holiday and I can say without a doubt that they are the fittest, best-looking nationality on the planet. They mostly flock to Valencia because of the weather, the beaches, and the biking. I hang out in the bike rental shop my friends own and talk to people from the Netherlands all the time. I hear stories of their cycling culture, of how they ride every day, how some kids ride one hundred kilometers a week to go to school and back. They should be an inspiration for everyone.
A British TV series did a couple of segments on my friends’ shop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgJ2D...
If you’ve never visited or lived in a bike-friendly city, you are letting one of the best things in life pass you by. I’ve been a cycling my entire life. I lived in downtown Seattle for a long time and, although I had a car, I rode my bike everywhere. Driving in Seattle was a nightmare, and much worse in the suburban areas, places I avoided at all costs.
When I first arrived in Valencia, it was a moderately progressive city when it came to cycling. I dreamed back then about living in Copenhagen or Amsterdam to experience a truly bike-centered life. With the election of our mayor six years ago, Valencia has made great strides to become more like these two cycling meccas.
In the past two year, the city’s historic center had become almost completely pedestrianized. It’s been quite remarkable to witness this metamorphosis first-hand. The bike infrastructure in Valencia has improved radically so we now call ourselves the Amsterdam of the Mediterranean. Bike culture hasn’t really caught on as I would have hoped and more eScooters are being sold here than bikes, but conditions have vastly improved for people who ride.
If you combine this with the dense urban setting, living without a car is not only possible, but infinitely easier than driving. I would imagine that this sort of life has never occurred to the majority of Americans.
A related post from my blog:
https://leftbankview.blogspot.com/201...
March 23, 2020
First, this book smells like a new college textbook and I kept smelling the fumes of paper and paste and it’s lovely. It also reads a bit like a textbook and I can totally seeing future city planners reading this for a class, though it’s also accessible to the layperson. It outlines the auto and bicycle history of the Netherlands and also draws some parallels to bicycles efforts in other parts of the world.
The Netherlands was not always the bikey place we currently imagine. After WWII, many of the bombed cities had a chance to become more “modern” and filled their streets with cars, believing they were the future, but in the 70s, people got tired about children dying in the streets. “The asphalt terror of the motorized bourgeoisie has lasted long enough!”
If you have enjoyed how quiet our cities have been during this shelter-in-place, consider not contributing to the auto noise by biking, walking, Scootering, our taking transit. Fight to ban cars from city centers. Get infrastructure in your town that would allow at kindergartener to bike to school with their siblings and grandparents to the store.
If you don’t have the blessed print version that smells like textbook, you can get the audiobook for free on Hoopla at your library, though you’ll miss out on some of the pictures. It could have used more pictures- I was googling things the book didn’t show such as the Te Ara I Whiti in Auckland.
Enjoy this book during your quarantine and enjoy the life it shares afterwards,
The Netherlands was not always the bikey place we currently imagine. After WWII, many of the bombed cities had a chance to become more “modern” and filled their streets with cars, believing they were the future, but in the 70s, people got tired about children dying in the streets. “The asphalt terror of the motorized bourgeoisie has lasted long enough!”
If you have enjoyed how quiet our cities have been during this shelter-in-place, consider not contributing to the auto noise by biking, walking, Scootering, our taking transit. Fight to ban cars from city centers. Get infrastructure in your town that would allow at kindergartener to bike to school with their siblings and grandparents to the store.
If you don’t have the blessed print version that smells like textbook, you can get the audiobook for free on Hoopla at your library, though you’ll miss out on some of the pictures. It could have used more pictures- I was googling things the book didn’t show such as the Te Ara I Whiti in Auckland.
Enjoy this book during your quarantine and enjoy the life it shares afterwards,
July 24, 2018
This book uses examples from Dutch cities to describe how a city can be human-sized and livable by reallocating space given traditionally to cars towards other transportation modes, particularly walking and cycling. The book talks about the cycling city, and over and over we realize that this really means the human-scale city, and that the ultimate goal is to reduce car-centric infrastructures. The book is positive and exciting, but it is also realistic. Examples of success come with examples of hurdles and problems that were encountered when changing Dutch society and the fabric of their cities. It is clear as we go through the chapters that present different cities that there isn't one solution for all cases, even within the Netherlands. This is a strength of this book, since it is general enough that we can think about how we would use this experience and apply it to the unique situation of our own neighbourhood and city. Each chapter on Dutch cities also contain information and examples from North America, which makes the book even stronger.
January 30, 2021
Bikes are great. Cars are stupid. America should be more like the Netherlands.
May 31, 2021
This book made me want to drop everything and just go live a happy life in the Netherlands with every chapter
Read
September 24, 2023Inspiring. What cities can do if they feel this is an important topic.
We are so tied to the car, yet people love to live I places where they can walk and cycle. But the urban planners build bigger roads, which do not solve any traffic issues.
It's not easy, and thinking needs to be joined up and practical
We are so tied to the car, yet people love to live I places where they can walk and cycle. But the urban planners build bigger roads, which do not solve any traffic issues.
It's not easy, and thinking needs to be joined up and practical
December 28, 2021
Of course I loved this book. Melissa and Chris are famous cycling advocates and in this book they present a roadmaps for cities to be more cycling oriented.
The result is a textbook for urban planning.
The result is a textbook for urban planning.
August 19, 2023
Biggest take away: the Netherlands is a place that builds (after a brief hiccough in the 70s) at the human scale - people first, motor vehicles last. It just makes sense.
September 1, 2024
Calling Rotterdam "a gift from God" is fkn wild
October 8, 2022
This book provides a glowing overview of bicycle infrastructure in the Netherlands and describes how it can be used as an adaptable template worldwide, including multiple examples of recent bicycle infrastructure development in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
“Ga toch fietsen!”
This book discusses and describes Dutch bicycle infrastructure and bicycle culture. Most importantly it gives its history. While these two things are now a given in Dutch society, the Netherlands had originally followed the same car-centric path as North America and the rest of Europe beginning in the post-WWII era. Cars were seen as the way of the future, and cities were redesigned for privately owned cars, a decision that included demolishing existing development (in some cases entire sections of a city or town) and removing tram and rail lines. Public transit and bicycles were seen as outdated and actively discouraged by city design and social pressure.
"The Netherlands wasn’t always this way — it was created and evolved." (page 17)
Then during the 1970s, the oil crisis, a grassroots movement (Stop de Kindermoord) protesting the high number of children being killed by automobiles, community members being disadvantaged by the proliferation of cars, and bicycle advocates changed things in the Netherlands. The Netherlands began to curb its car-centric policies and focus on traffic safety. The bicycle was rediscovered as a means of everyday transportation. Cycling began to be encouraged by the government, and urban spaces were redesigned and retrofitted to provide infrastructure for cyclists. When it became safer to cycle due to protected bike lanes and reduced speed limits on mixed use streets, people of all ages and ability levels began to cycle on a regular basis. As rates of cycling increased, car usage further decreased. Gradually, the bicycle became a central part of Dutch culture.
"Cycle-friendly street improvements can be win-win scenarios for all modes of transportation." (page 85)
Providing people with the freedom not to drive has many benefits for all members of society — not just bicyclists, which this book highlights. Ironically, the better the bicycle infrastructure, the better it is for drivers because there is less traffic, less congestion, less wear and tear on the roads, and less automobile accidents. It is also better for everyone because there is also less noise, less pollution, and better air quality where people live. Separated bicycle lanes buffered with green space make urban environments more inviting, and bioswales absorb storm water runoff. There is less obesity and improved overall health, which lowers healthcare costs for everyone. There is increased retail activity, more social interaction, and a greater sense of community. It frees up space in urban areas because bicycles take up less space than automobiles. Bike infrastructure provides low-income people with more opportunities for upward social mobility, and it gives the very old and the very young more independence and increased mobility.
When it comes to cost, bicycle infrastructure and bicycling as a regular means of transportation save everyone money. It saves the government money because bicycle infrastructure is cheaper to build and maintain than car infrastructure and because car infrastructure lasts longer when there are fewer cars on the road. It saves individuals money because bicycles are cheaper to buy, use, and maintain than automobiles. It saves municipalities and business owners money because bicycle usage lowers the minimum parking requirements for cars (Free parking costs an estimated $125 per parking space per year to maintain), which in turn generates more tax revenue because the smaller the parking lots, the more room for businesses.
The history of Dutch bicycle infrastructure and urban planning are proof that things can change, that "the way things are" is the result of a deliberate choice. And society can decide to make a different choice. The Dutch changed their priorities, policies, and regulations on street design, transportation, and urban development, and so can the rest of the world. Streets that once had streetcars that were the redesigned for cars can be redesigned once again for trams. The right most lanes on arterial roads can be designated as transit-only lanes in which only buses and emergency vehicles are allowed to drive. Separated protected bike lanes can be built. The standard width of a car lane can be reduced from 12 feet to 10 feet without increasing accidents or fatalities, freeing up space for bicycle lanes.
"Even the most car-centric city can be adapted for walking, cycling, public transit, and public life." (page 12)
This book also disproves the argument that bicycle infrastructure isn't needed because only a small number of eccentric adults use the bicycle as their primary means of transportation. The revival of bicycling for commuting and short distance trips in the Netherlands [and Denmark] is proof that people will choose the easiest way of getting from point A to point B, and if that is by bicycle, they will use a bicycle ... even in bad weather and hilly terrain … as long as the infrastructure is safe for vulnerable road users. The United States and Canada can create the same type and amount of bicycle infrastructure if enough people demanded that the car-centric policies of the mid-20th Century be changed.
"To the Dutch, riding a bike is just a normal part of the everyday for virtually everybody." (page 191)
The Dutch have spent the last 50 years developing optimal bicycle infrastructure through trial and error and experimentation, so there is no need to reinvent the wheel. The kinks have already been worked out. The Dutch blueprint can be easily exported and adapted. Globalization has made hiring Dutch urban planners and traffic engineers easier than ever. The only thing required is commitment.
This tone of this book is very chatty and conversational, and sometimes it takes the authors a long time to get to the point in each section. I would have much preferred a succinct introduction at the beginning of each chapter that summarized what the Dutch do and why other countries should adopt this practice before launching into a leisurely exploration of the sub-topic.
Dutch bicycle terms to know include:
• fiets = bicycle
• fietser = bicyclist / ordinary bike rider
• wielrenner = "wheel runner" / sport cyclist
• omafiets = "grandma bike" / bike with a step-through frame
• bakfiets = "box bike" / cargo bike
• fietspad = bicycle path
• fietsstraat = street where bicycles have priority and cars are "guests" with a speed limit of 30 km/hr or less
• fietssnelwge = bicycle highway / bicycle only road
• snelsfietsroute = fast bicycle route
• fietsparkeergarage = bicycle parking garage
• buurtstallingen = neighborhood bike parking facility
• fietsenstalling = bicycle parking / bicycle storage
• autoluw = car-light / nearly car-free
• ontvlechten = "unbraiding" / "disentangling" / "decoupling" / the concept of separating different forms of traffic into different routes.
One of the best things about this book is that it gives readers the terminology to understand and express concepts in urban planning. In fact, the idea that cities are planned at all may be new to some readers. I certainly had no idea the bad infrastructure in the US was the result of deliberate planning; I naively thought it was the consequence of not planning. Terms to know include (in no particular order):
• walkability
• livability
• urban mobility
• traffic calming
• modal share = percentage of travelers using a particular type of transportation
• high density mixed used neighborhoods
• Euclidean zoning
• upzoning
• protected bike lane
• buffered bicycle lane
• two way cycle track
• shared lane marking (aka sharrow)
• painted bike lane (aka bicycle gutter)
• "doored" = when bicyclists are hit by car doors opened into an unprotected bicycle lane
• punishment pass
• "coal rolling"
• bollards = posts that separate bicycle lanes from automobile traffic
• bicycle parking garage
• cargo bikes
• step-through frame
• stroad (aka street-road hybrid)
• transit-only lanes
• car-centric
• car-dependent
• arterial road
• filtered permeability / traffic filtering
• tram (aka streetcar)
• superblock (modern commie block)
• transit-oriented development (TOD)
• walkshed
• duplex, triplex, quadplex/4plex, and multiplex housing
Readers will react to this book in two ways. They will either dismiss its content as "those wacky socialist Europeans" or chose to take inspiration from it. Personally, I was inspired by this book, but I am also exhausted from swimming against the political and social tides.
Jason Slaughter from Not Just Bikes describes learning about Dutch bicycle infrastructure and, by its very nature, people-centric urban planning as "taking the orange pill." This is both a reference to the Netherlands' national color, orange, and an allusion to a scene in 1999 film "The Matrix" in which the hero is offered the choice to take a pill that will allow him to discover the source of his discontent about the world. Below is my own full-length interpretation of this metaphor. The brackets indicate the liberties I have taken with the original dialogue.
Morpheus: You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life — that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I’m talking about?
Neo: … [car-centric urban planning].
Morpheus: Do you want to know what it is?
Neo: [nods yes]
Morpheus: [Car-centric infrastructure] is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window [in your car-dependent suburb] or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you [have no viable alternative but to] [drive] to work … when you [drive] to church … when you pay your taxes [that subsidize car-dependent suburbia and fund the streets, roads, and stroads built for privately owned automobiles]. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Morpheus: That you are a slave [to over half a century of car-centric development and Euclidean zoning], Neo. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage [to the automobile]. Born into a prison that you [can] smell [and] taste [and] touch. A prison for your mind.
Morpheus: [takes a deep breath] Unfortunately, no one can be told what [people-centric urban planning] is. You have to [experience walkability, bicycle infrastructure, good public transit, transit-oriented development, building on a human scale, high density mixed-used neighborhoods, and the freedom not to drive] for yourself.
Neo: [reflected in Morpheus’s sunglasses]
Morpheus: [Takes out two pills. One is [orange], and one is blue] This is your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You take the blue pill, the story ends; you wake up in your [suburb] and believe whatever you want to believe.
You take the [orange] pill, you stay in [the Netherlands], and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
“Ga toch fietsen!”
This book discusses and describes Dutch bicycle infrastructure and bicycle culture. Most importantly it gives its history. While these two things are now a given in Dutch society, the Netherlands had originally followed the same car-centric path as North America and the rest of Europe beginning in the post-WWII era. Cars were seen as the way of the future, and cities were redesigned for privately owned cars, a decision that included demolishing existing development (in some cases entire sections of a city or town) and removing tram and rail lines. Public transit and bicycles were seen as outdated and actively discouraged by city design and social pressure.
"The Netherlands wasn’t always this way — it was created and evolved." (page 17)
Then during the 1970s, the oil crisis, a grassroots movement (Stop de Kindermoord) protesting the high number of children being killed by automobiles, community members being disadvantaged by the proliferation of cars, and bicycle advocates changed things in the Netherlands. The Netherlands began to curb its car-centric policies and focus on traffic safety. The bicycle was rediscovered as a means of everyday transportation. Cycling began to be encouraged by the government, and urban spaces were redesigned and retrofitted to provide infrastructure for cyclists. When it became safer to cycle due to protected bike lanes and reduced speed limits on mixed use streets, people of all ages and ability levels began to cycle on a regular basis. As rates of cycling increased, car usage further decreased. Gradually, the bicycle became a central part of Dutch culture.
"Cycle-friendly street improvements can be win-win scenarios for all modes of transportation." (page 85)
Providing people with the freedom not to drive has many benefits for all members of society — not just bicyclists, which this book highlights. Ironically, the better the bicycle infrastructure, the better it is for drivers because there is less traffic, less congestion, less wear and tear on the roads, and less automobile accidents. It is also better for everyone because there is also less noise, less pollution, and better air quality where people live. Separated bicycle lanes buffered with green space make urban environments more inviting, and bioswales absorb storm water runoff. There is less obesity and improved overall health, which lowers healthcare costs for everyone. There is increased retail activity, more social interaction, and a greater sense of community. It frees up space in urban areas because bicycles take up less space than automobiles. Bike infrastructure provides low-income people with more opportunities for upward social mobility, and it gives the very old and the very young more independence and increased mobility.
When it comes to cost, bicycle infrastructure and bicycling as a regular means of transportation save everyone money. It saves the government money because bicycle infrastructure is cheaper to build and maintain than car infrastructure and because car infrastructure lasts longer when there are fewer cars on the road. It saves individuals money because bicycles are cheaper to buy, use, and maintain than automobiles. It saves municipalities and business owners money because bicycle usage lowers the minimum parking requirements for cars (Free parking costs an estimated $125 per parking space per year to maintain), which in turn generates more tax revenue because the smaller the parking lots, the more room for businesses.
The history of Dutch bicycle infrastructure and urban planning are proof that things can change, that "the way things are" is the result of a deliberate choice. And society can decide to make a different choice. The Dutch changed their priorities, policies, and regulations on street design, transportation, and urban development, and so can the rest of the world. Streets that once had streetcars that were the redesigned for cars can be redesigned once again for trams. The right most lanes on arterial roads can be designated as transit-only lanes in which only buses and emergency vehicles are allowed to drive. Separated protected bike lanes can be built. The standard width of a car lane can be reduced from 12 feet to 10 feet without increasing accidents or fatalities, freeing up space for bicycle lanes.
"Even the most car-centric city can be adapted for walking, cycling, public transit, and public life." (page 12)
This book also disproves the argument that bicycle infrastructure isn't needed because only a small number of eccentric adults use the bicycle as their primary means of transportation. The revival of bicycling for commuting and short distance trips in the Netherlands [and Denmark] is proof that people will choose the easiest way of getting from point A to point B, and if that is by bicycle, they will use a bicycle ... even in bad weather and hilly terrain … as long as the infrastructure is safe for vulnerable road users. The United States and Canada can create the same type and amount of bicycle infrastructure if enough people demanded that the car-centric policies of the mid-20th Century be changed.
"To the Dutch, riding a bike is just a normal part of the everyday for virtually everybody." (page 191)
The Dutch have spent the last 50 years developing optimal bicycle infrastructure through trial and error and experimentation, so there is no need to reinvent the wheel. The kinks have already been worked out. The Dutch blueprint can be easily exported and adapted. Globalization has made hiring Dutch urban planners and traffic engineers easier than ever. The only thing required is commitment.
This tone of this book is very chatty and conversational, and sometimes it takes the authors a long time to get to the point in each section. I would have much preferred a succinct introduction at the beginning of each chapter that summarized what the Dutch do and why other countries should adopt this practice before launching into a leisurely exploration of the sub-topic.
Dutch bicycle terms to know include:
• fiets = bicycle
• fietser = bicyclist / ordinary bike rider
• wielrenner = "wheel runner" / sport cyclist
• omafiets = "grandma bike" / bike with a step-through frame
• bakfiets = "box bike" / cargo bike
• fietspad = bicycle path
• fietsstraat = street where bicycles have priority and cars are "guests" with a speed limit of 30 km/hr or less
• fietssnelwge = bicycle highway / bicycle only road
• snelsfietsroute = fast bicycle route
• fietsparkeergarage = bicycle parking garage
• buurtstallingen = neighborhood bike parking facility
• fietsenstalling = bicycle parking / bicycle storage
• autoluw = car-light / nearly car-free
• ontvlechten = "unbraiding" / "disentangling" / "decoupling" / the concept of separating different forms of traffic into different routes.
One of the best things about this book is that it gives readers the terminology to understand and express concepts in urban planning. In fact, the idea that cities are planned at all may be new to some readers. I certainly had no idea the bad infrastructure in the US was the result of deliberate planning; I naively thought it was the consequence of not planning. Terms to know include (in no particular order):
• walkability
• livability
• urban mobility
• traffic calming
• modal share = percentage of travelers using a particular type of transportation
• high density mixed used neighborhoods
• Euclidean zoning
• upzoning
• protected bike lane
• buffered bicycle lane
• two way cycle track
• shared lane marking (aka sharrow)
• painted bike lane (aka bicycle gutter)
• "doored" = when bicyclists are hit by car doors opened into an unprotected bicycle lane
• punishment pass
• "coal rolling"
• bollards = posts that separate bicycle lanes from automobile traffic
• bicycle parking garage
• cargo bikes
• step-through frame
• stroad (aka street-road hybrid)
• transit-only lanes
• car-centric
• car-dependent
• arterial road
• filtered permeability / traffic filtering
• tram (aka streetcar)
• superblock (modern commie block)
• transit-oriented development (TOD)
• walkshed
• duplex, triplex, quadplex/4plex, and multiplex housing
Readers will react to this book in two ways. They will either dismiss its content as "those wacky socialist Europeans" or chose to take inspiration from it. Personally, I was inspired by this book, but I am also exhausted from swimming against the political and social tides.
Jason Slaughter from Not Just Bikes describes learning about Dutch bicycle infrastructure and, by its very nature, people-centric urban planning as "taking the orange pill." This is both a reference to the Netherlands' national color, orange, and an allusion to a scene in 1999 film "The Matrix" in which the hero is offered the choice to take a pill that will allow him to discover the source of his discontent about the world. Below is my own full-length interpretation of this metaphor. The brackets indicate the liberties I have taken with the original dialogue.
Morpheus: You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life — that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I’m talking about?
Neo: … [car-centric urban planning].
Morpheus: Do you want to know what it is?
Neo: [nods yes]
Morpheus: [Car-centric infrastructure] is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window [in your car-dependent suburb] or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you [have no viable alternative but to] [drive] to work … when you [drive] to church … when you pay your taxes [that subsidize car-dependent suburbia and fund the streets, roads, and stroads built for privately owned automobiles]. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Morpheus: That you are a slave [to over half a century of car-centric development and Euclidean zoning], Neo. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage [to the automobile]. Born into a prison that you [can] smell [and] taste [and] touch. A prison for your mind.
Morpheus: [takes a deep breath] Unfortunately, no one can be told what [people-centric urban planning] is. You have to [experience walkability, bicycle infrastructure, good public transit, transit-oriented development, building on a human scale, high density mixed-used neighborhoods, and the freedom not to drive] for yourself.
Neo: [reflected in Morpheus’s sunglasses]
Morpheus: [Takes out two pills. One is [orange], and one is blue] This is your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You take the blue pill, the story ends; you wake up in your [suburb] and believe whatever you want to believe.
You take the [orange] pill, you stay in [the Netherlands], and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
January 4, 2024
As car centric planning continues to produce the most unsafe, unsustainable, inconvenient and (in my opinion) ugliest cities, this book gives me hope for a better future and was a really cool insight into Dutch cycling cities. I was expecting more information on how to help make changes in our own nearby cities, but still this was great as a look into very inspiring cities, what they’re like, how they work, and how they got there.
“Move around the streets of Amsterdam today and it’s hard to imagine a time when the bicycle didn’t dominate the city’s landscape, truly the success of the protests and activism’s of decades past is painted on the serene faces of thousands of cyclists, as they move in an effortless ballet around their streets, enjoying the fruits of a social city. Ask any local about their cycle culture, and they will respond with a shrug “what cycle culture?” This is just what we do. “
“Move around the streets of Amsterdam today and it’s hard to imagine a time when the bicycle didn’t dominate the city’s landscape, truly the success of the protests and activism’s of decades past is painted on the serene faces of thousands of cyclists, as they move in an effortless ballet around their streets, enjoying the fruits of a social city. Ask any local about their cycle culture, and they will respond with a shrug “what cycle culture?” This is just what we do. “
February 9, 2024
I read this book in anticipation of a trip to Amsterdam. It was a good overview that covered urbanism basics like why traffic calming is good for cities, with plenty of detail about the specific policies that made the Netherlands into the bike utopia it is today.
I particularly liked learning about how each city does face different challenges, especially in the aftermath of car-centric planning in the mid- to late-20th century. The only thing I found confusing was the occasional interludes about other cities, including North American cities. I think it was there for contrast, but I didn't find those sections particularly informative.
The audiobook production is pretty good, with a professional narrator and clear vocal differences to indicate when text is being quoted. The constant conversions between miles / kilometers and dollars / euros sound a bit weird in audio though.
I particularly liked learning about how each city does face different challenges, especially in the aftermath of car-centric planning in the mid- to late-20th century. The only thing I found confusing was the occasional interludes about other cities, including North American cities. I think it was there for contrast, but I didn't find those sections particularly informative.
The audiobook production is pretty good, with a professional narrator and clear vocal differences to indicate when text is being quoted. The constant conversions between miles / kilometers and dollars / euros sound a bit weird in audio though.
June 13, 2023
I love a book that gives me the hard facts on truths I know are self evident. Bike infrastructure building deeper, culturally richer, safer, and more connective communities!! Who would’ve thought. Definitely a nonfiction book with an agenda but a great foundational read if you’re interested in what a close to bike/pedestrian structured city and philosophy could look like. Great tidbits of history too!
April 8, 2020
While the idea of using a bike for all trips or using public transport over a Car is exciting but hard to imagine in countries like India, where I live, due to the harsh hot and humid climate and unimaginable population density, the book is too good to be passed off. It should be made a mandatory reading for anyone joining office in Town or Urban Planning department, anywhere in the world.
I could imagine how such a transformation could be done in Ahmedabad, the city I live in, as if I were a part of Urban Development already!
A book that has left me wishing for a cleaner, greener, quieter and more beautiful city to live in, and provided me my next destination to travel when ever I can: Netherlands.
I could imagine how such a transformation could be done in Ahmedabad, the city I live in, as if I were a part of Urban Development already!
A book that has left me wishing for a cleaner, greener, quieter and more beautiful city to live in, and provided me my next destination to travel when ever I can: Netherlands.
September 7, 2025
I loved the history, technical urban planning talk, and deep dives into specific case studies (I’m so inspired by this field!!!! I love bicycles and transit and accessibility!!!). I did NOT love the obsession with the “DNA of the Dutch” and weird undertones of Dutch superiority. Disappointing.
May 24, 2023
A very thorough investigation into how the Dutch integrated cycling into everyday life and built their cycling infrastructure. Super interesting and makes me eager to visit the Netherlands and leaves me hopeful that we create a better cycling culture in the US!
June 9, 2025
Good book
August 22, 2019
We enjoyed living in the Netherlands for a semester and saw first hand how remarkable their cycling infrastructure is. As the author states, the most remarkable thing about it is how unremarkable it is to the Dutch. It isn't anything special, it's just their regular life. But it really is genius. Up to 50% of Dutch people bike instead of drive, depending on the city, and the bike infrastructure is so safe, protected, and intersection free that you can often get where you want to go faster on a bike. They've also designed their communities to be beautiful places to live and travel, where regular biking paths are what we would consider a beautiful recreational vacation in America. Consequently, instead of loathing my 12 mile bike commute to work, I really enjoyed it tremendously.
What I appreciated about this book was how it shows the lessons the Dutch have learned, and how they can be applied to other cities, including here in America. While we may not have the Dutch landscape, geography, and history with biking, the book shows how we could be much more bike-friendly. And how building bike infrastructure leads to better communities, healthier living, less traffic on the roads, a more "human" oriented city.
What I appreciated about this book was how it shows the lessons the Dutch have learned, and how they can be applied to other cities, including here in America. While we may not have the Dutch landscape, geography, and history with biking, the book shows how we could be much more bike-friendly. And how building bike infrastructure leads to better communities, healthier living, less traffic on the roads, a more "human" oriented city.
May 31, 2020
I'm a bit of a pervert when it comes to Dutch cycling infrastructure so this book was right up my fietspad. This is a pretty standard urban planning book which essentially outlines exactly the key transport planning strategies used within the Netherlands. I was impressed by both the range of stakeholders that were interviewed and the array of cities that were covered within the book. Often when people cover Dutch cycling infrastructure it is often with a very Amsterdam-focused viewpoint, so I was pleasantly surprised to see smaller cities like Groningen and Utrecht included. My only minor gripe with the book I found the book to be too focused on relating Dutch urban planning to North American cities. However I can appreciate that a book solely covering Dutch cycling and transportation is perhaps limited in relevance if the lessons and ideas aren't taken and applied to a wider urban planning context.
November 21, 2019
I was a little disappointed with this book. Written by two Canadians who traveled the Netherlands as reporters, this whole work feels very surface-level. Some of the chapters I could have written myself based on a single week I spent during my Bicycle Urbanism course in the Netherlands a year before this book was published. We met with the same people and toured the same infrastructure. I thought this book more encapsulated my already-existing knowledge about bicycle mobility rather than adding to it. I was hoping this book would more parallel _In The City of Bikes_, written by an American expat bike enthusiast who at the time of writing had lived in the Netherlands for 20 years. Anyway, considering it took me almost a month to finish a 200 page book on one of my favorite subjects, it clearly wasn’t life-changing.
February 6, 2021
The book shows people how to live their lives with bicycles and active modes of transport, to discover the potential of more delightful cities. It talks about the holistic benefits, of imbedding physical activity into everyone's day to day lives, decreasing pollution, increasing air quality, reducing healthcare costs, increasing people's sense of community, increasing people's wellbeing, mental health and productivity.
Although I very much agree with the ideas and principles in the book, and the value that cycling and active transport modes bring to the world, I think the book is lacking in evidence, the book talks about being "data driven" but proceeds to not provide data to substantiate their claims. I would like to see a book that drills deeper into the data driven benefits for active modes of transportation and building better cities and communities.
Although I very much agree with the ideas and principles in the book, and the value that cycling and active transport modes bring to the world, I think the book is lacking in evidence, the book talks about being "data driven" but proceeds to not provide data to substantiate their claims. I would like to see a book that drills deeper into the data driven benefits for active modes of transportation and building better cities and communities.
January 13, 2021
Nice book about cycling and examples (mostly Dutch cities, you guessed it) where cycling infrastructure do more than just enable cycling indeed.
I wish it would have treated deeper the technical solutions implemented in the various scenarios/cities.
I also think it could have done a better job in describing/bringing up the negative sides of all the "bike fights" or when things didn't work as expected. It sometimes gives the feeling as if a fanboy is telling all those stories (and I am telling this a bike enthusiast).
Overall recommended as a light reading that will give you some interesting insights, especially if you don't live in the Netherlands.
I wish it would have treated deeper the technical solutions implemented in the various scenarios/cities.
I also think it could have done a better job in describing/bringing up the negative sides of all the "bike fights" or when things didn't work as expected. It sometimes gives the feeling as if a fanboy is telling all those stories (and I am telling this a bike enthusiast).
Overall recommended as a light reading that will give you some interesting insights, especially if you don't live in the Netherlands.
April 9, 2020
This is really good, thorough analysis of what elements contribute to a cycling city, but it’s much lighter on why its a good idea and how to achieve it. But then the sub-title is about a “blueprint” so that might be what they intended to achieve. It’s still 100% worth reading.
November 12, 2018
This book was written by a married couple (the Bruntletts) who love the bicycle and wanted to learn how the Netherlands ended up being such a bike utopia. For anyone who has been to Amsterdam and wondered the same thing, or just the bike-curious (see what I did there?), this is a well-written and simultaneously fun and serious treatise.
I think the take away that will surprise people but makes perfect sense in context stems from the observation that the Dutch actually have two terms for cyclists. One is for what we often think of in the US – an athletic, spandex-clad, racer, comfortable darting in and out of traffic and at high speeds. The other, thought, is for the form that really benefits cities – upright, casual speed, more accessible cycling as a way to get around. Supporting this forms means having infrastructure that is designed with casual bicyclists in mind.
The Bruntletts present a combination of a historical review of Dutch cities and a full recipe for how a city can become more of a cycling city. One important piece they present well is they why – it’s not just to make bicycling work for bicycling’s sake, but because it helps so many of our priorities in urban living, including better traffic, improved safety, a clear system, and more equity. In the United States, there is often a perceived conflict between cars and bicycles. This is a partial truth because a key ingredient in creating the world's most enjoyable driving conditions is providing the freedom to leave the car at home. But it’s also a false choice, because even those who never bicycle benefit from a good bike system that allows others to not drive.
Another surprise to me was how the Dutch embrace of cycling was far from a foregone conclusion. They faced many of the same choices as U.S. cities during the era where we went all-in on the road, and faced proposals to go the same way. Some cities were much later to the game, and had to walk back some of their mistakes. This helps realize that it’s not like there are bicycling people and car people – it’s much more about the choices we make as a community and what modes are provided as viable, quality options.
A city will know that it’s succeeded in becoming a cycling city when people don’t think of themselves as cyclists – riding a bicycle is just the way to get around.
------------------------------------------
2018 Reading Challenge Update
book number: 28 / 40
scorecard (see below):
W: 15/20
NW: 11/20
NA: 14/20
D: 1/3
F: 18
NF: 9
-------
Notes: I'm trying to read 40 books this year. To make sure I'm getting a broad range, I'm tracking some metrics. Open to more if folks have suggestions. My goal is to read books that are:
half by women
half not by white people
half by non-americans
at least 3 that I don't think I'll like or agree with going in
I'll also go for about half fiction and half non-fiction.
This year, I'm also adding the What Should I Read Next categories since they should provide some good ideas, and I love the recommendations I get from the podcast: https://modernmrsdarcy.com/reading-ch...
X A classic you've been meaning to read
X A book recommended by someone with great taste
X A book in translation
O A book nominated for an award in 2018
O A book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection
X A book you can read in a day
X A book that's more than 500 pages
X A book by a favorite author
O A book recommended by a librarian or indie bookseller
O A banned book
X A memoir, biography, or book of creative nonfiction
X A book by an author of a different race, ethnicity, or religion than your own
I think the take away that will surprise people but makes perfect sense in context stems from the observation that the Dutch actually have two terms for cyclists. One is for what we often think of in the US – an athletic, spandex-clad, racer, comfortable darting in and out of traffic and at high speeds. The other, thought, is for the form that really benefits cities – upright, casual speed, more accessible cycling as a way to get around. Supporting this forms means having infrastructure that is designed with casual bicyclists in mind.
The Bruntletts present a combination of a historical review of Dutch cities and a full recipe for how a city can become more of a cycling city. One important piece they present well is they why – it’s not just to make bicycling work for bicycling’s sake, but because it helps so many of our priorities in urban living, including better traffic, improved safety, a clear system, and more equity. In the United States, there is often a perceived conflict between cars and bicycles. This is a partial truth because a key ingredient in creating the world's most enjoyable driving conditions is providing the freedom to leave the car at home. But it’s also a false choice, because even those who never bicycle benefit from a good bike system that allows others to not drive.
Another surprise to me was how the Dutch embrace of cycling was far from a foregone conclusion. They faced many of the same choices as U.S. cities during the era where we went all-in on the road, and faced proposals to go the same way. Some cities were much later to the game, and had to walk back some of their mistakes. This helps realize that it’s not like there are bicycling people and car people – it’s much more about the choices we make as a community and what modes are provided as viable, quality options.
A city will know that it’s succeeded in becoming a cycling city when people don’t think of themselves as cyclists – riding a bicycle is just the way to get around.
------------------------------------------
2018 Reading Challenge Update
book number: 28 / 40
scorecard (see below):
W: 15/20
NW: 11/20
NA: 14/20
D: 1/3
F: 18
NF: 9
-------
Notes: I'm trying to read 40 books this year. To make sure I'm getting a broad range, I'm tracking some metrics. Open to more if folks have suggestions. My goal is to read books that are:
half by women
half not by white people
half by non-americans
at least 3 that I don't think I'll like or agree with going in
I'll also go for about half fiction and half non-fiction.
This year, I'm also adding the What Should I Read Next categories since they should provide some good ideas, and I love the recommendations I get from the podcast: https://modernmrsdarcy.com/reading-ch...
X A classic you've been meaning to read
X A book recommended by someone with great taste
X A book in translation
O A book nominated for an award in 2018
O A book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection
X A book you can read in a day
X A book that's more than 500 pages
X A book by a favorite author
O A book recommended by a librarian or indie bookseller
O A banned book
X A memoir, biography, or book of creative nonfiction
X A book by an author of a different race, ethnicity, or religion than your own
September 16, 2022
Why can Dutch cyclists ride without helmets? Why don't they need a shower when they get where they're going? Why are they wearing regular clothes while riding? The answer in all cases is that the Dutch built a bicycling infrastructure that looks at the bicycle as a form of transportation rather than recreation.
For a long time, it seemed like having a car was an obvious increase in one's standard of living from riding a bicycle. But if you live in a city that cannot just spread out forever, the math of land use begins to change. Cars take up a lot of space, they're noisy, they're costly, and they pollute the air. They're stressful to drive and annoyingly slow because of congestion. Bicycles take up less space, they're quiet, you feel good riding them, and they're faster for some trips. They also tie you more directly to your community. Now that e-bikes are here, all of these bicycling advantages seem more obvious b/c hills and stop lights are less annoying. Although I still see a lot of recreational cyclists, bike paths are popular. My city has one good path for cyclists, and it gets used.
Perhaps b/c I'm not an urban planner, I didn't love reading Building the Cycling City. But I do appreciate the message and am happy to recommend it. I also recommend...
-David Roberts' interview with the Brunletts on his Dr Volts podcast. I was especially struck by their comments on how living in the Netherlands affected the way they parent their children.
-Watching some YouTube videos about Dutch bicycles.
-Noah Smith will sometimes blog about how people are nostalgic for universities because they miss living on a walking / cyclable campus.
-And if you are looking for a book on urban design, I recommend Happy City by Charles Montgomery (who also blurbs the copy of Building the Cycling City that I read).
For a long time, it seemed like having a car was an obvious increase in one's standard of living from riding a bicycle. But if you live in a city that cannot just spread out forever, the math of land use begins to change. Cars take up a lot of space, they're noisy, they're costly, and they pollute the air. They're stressful to drive and annoyingly slow because of congestion. Bicycles take up less space, they're quiet, you feel good riding them, and they're faster for some trips. They also tie you more directly to your community. Now that e-bikes are here, all of these bicycling advantages seem more obvious b/c hills and stop lights are less annoying. Although I still see a lot of recreational cyclists, bike paths are popular. My city has one good path for cyclists, and it gets used.
Perhaps b/c I'm not an urban planner, I didn't love reading Building the Cycling City. But I do appreciate the message and am happy to recommend it. I also recommend...
-David Roberts' interview with the Brunletts on his Dr Volts podcast. I was especially struck by their comments on how living in the Netherlands affected the way they parent their children.
-Watching some YouTube videos about Dutch bicycles.
-Noah Smith will sometimes blog about how people are nostalgic for universities because they miss living on a walking / cyclable campus.
-And if you are looking for a book on urban design, I recommend Happy City by Charles Montgomery (who also blurbs the copy of Building the Cycling City that I read).
August 10, 2019
De familie Bruntlett kwam in 2016 voor een fietsreis naar Nederland.
Ze waren al een aantal jaar geleden van de auto afgestapt, gewaagd
voor een Canadees, maar nu wilden ze kijken hoe fietsparadijs
Nederland tot stand kwam. Dat resulteerde in dit boek, 'Building the
Cycling City' en uiteindelijk in hun verhuizing naar Nederland.
Bruntlett en Bruntlett hebben met dit boek een breed palet aan
perspectieven willen brengen, over hoe de Nederlandse fietscultuur nu
echt werkt. Zoals Pete Jordan, met zijn geweldige 'DeFietsrepubliek'
als buitenstaanders de ziel van de Amsterdammer wist te benaderen, zo
weten de Bruntletts als buitenstaanders ook hun nieuwsgierige blik te
behouden.
In het boek weten zij steeds een verhaal uit een Nederlandse
fietsstad, te koppelen aan een Angelsaksisch voorbeeld. Zo is de
Hovingring in Eindhoven gekoppeld aan een nieuwe fietsbrug in Calgary.
Veel fietsklassiekers en fietshelden komen langs in het boek. Van
ex-Groenlinks-Wethouder Hugo van der Steenhoven tot de makers van het
Rijnwaalpad. Voor de Nederlandse fietswereld veel bekenden, maar dat
betekent niet dat Nederlanders niet veel op kunnen steken van dit
boek. Maar natuurlijk is het vooral verplichte leeskost voor iedere
Noord-Amerikaan op zijn vlucht naar Europa voor weer een excursie door
Houten of Groningen.
Ze maken uiteraard af en toe wat fouten - Als betrokkene bij de start
van de OV-fiets weet ik dat het iets anders ging dan het marketing
verhaal dat de NS aan de Bruntletts vertelt - maar dat maakt voor het
verhaal niet uit. Een essentieel boek voor wie wil begrijpen wat de
Nederlandse fietscultuur (Nummer 4 op onze nationale
identiteitslijst!) zo uniek maakt en wil weten waar te beginnen om
deze waar te maken in een andere stad
Ze waren al een aantal jaar geleden van de auto afgestapt, gewaagd
voor een Canadees, maar nu wilden ze kijken hoe fietsparadijs
Nederland tot stand kwam. Dat resulteerde in dit boek, 'Building the
Cycling City' en uiteindelijk in hun verhuizing naar Nederland.
Bruntlett en Bruntlett hebben met dit boek een breed palet aan
perspectieven willen brengen, over hoe de Nederlandse fietscultuur nu
echt werkt. Zoals Pete Jordan, met zijn geweldige 'DeFietsrepubliek'
als buitenstaanders de ziel van de Amsterdammer wist te benaderen, zo
weten de Bruntletts als buitenstaanders ook hun nieuwsgierige blik te
behouden.
In het boek weten zij steeds een verhaal uit een Nederlandse
fietsstad, te koppelen aan een Angelsaksisch voorbeeld. Zo is de
Hovingring in Eindhoven gekoppeld aan een nieuwe fietsbrug in Calgary.
Veel fietsklassiekers en fietshelden komen langs in het boek. Van
ex-Groenlinks-Wethouder Hugo van der Steenhoven tot de makers van het
Rijnwaalpad. Voor de Nederlandse fietswereld veel bekenden, maar dat
betekent niet dat Nederlanders niet veel op kunnen steken van dit
boek. Maar natuurlijk is het vooral verplichte leeskost voor iedere
Noord-Amerikaan op zijn vlucht naar Europa voor weer een excursie door
Houten of Groningen.
Ze maken uiteraard af en toe wat fouten - Als betrokkene bij de start
van de OV-fiets weet ik dat het iets anders ging dan het marketing
verhaal dat de NS aan de Bruntletts vertelt - maar dat maakt voor het
verhaal niet uit. Een essentieel boek voor wie wil begrijpen wat de
Nederlandse fietscultuur (Nummer 4 op onze nationale
identiteitslijst!) zo uniek maakt en wil weten waar te beginnen om
deze waar te maken in een andere stad
January 2, 2024
This book provides a wonderfully written set of sober yet inspiring stories from established and emerging cycling cities. The authors offer so many insights and lessons about cycling, public transport, and urban and rural mobility that anyone passionate about reimagining our cities for the better will enjoy reading. Here are five points from the book that I found most important:
1. All cities (even the most car-centric city) can become more pedestrian-, bike-, and public transport-friendly, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Context, culture, and history are indispensable in determining what citizens need and want.
2. Victories will be hard-fought and may be obtained via razor-thin margins. Activists and advocates must have the courage to forward bold innovative ideas despite the avalanche of criticism. Cooperation among public and private agencies, organizations, and groups is crucial. For instance, while the business sector may object initially to anti-automobile policies, they can become your most sincere allies once the benefits of such policies manifest.
3. Innovative ways of determining which qualitative and quantitative data to collect and analyze go a long way to ensure sound policy-making, spur infrastructure investment, and induce behavioral or cultural change.
4. A cycling city must be inclusive, prioritizing the needs of immigrants, children, and the elderly to enable them to enjoy the freedom of mobility that bicycles and public transport afford.
5. Practical benefits always come first, but there is value in beauty and aesthetics. When incorporated well into planning, they cultivate a sense of pride, wonder, and ownership among citizens that can contribute to further funding and support for urban renewal.
1. All cities (even the most car-centric city) can become more pedestrian-, bike-, and public transport-friendly, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Context, culture, and history are indispensable in determining what citizens need and want.
2. Victories will be hard-fought and may be obtained via razor-thin margins. Activists and advocates must have the courage to forward bold innovative ideas despite the avalanche of criticism. Cooperation among public and private agencies, organizations, and groups is crucial. For instance, while the business sector may object initially to anti-automobile policies, they can become your most sincere allies once the benefits of such policies manifest.
3. Innovative ways of determining which qualitative and quantitative data to collect and analyze go a long way to ensure sound policy-making, spur infrastructure investment, and induce behavioral or cultural change.
4. A cycling city must be inclusive, prioritizing the needs of immigrants, children, and the elderly to enable them to enjoy the freedom of mobility that bicycles and public transport afford.
5. Practical benefits always come first, but there is value in beauty and aesthetics. When incorporated well into planning, they cultivate a sense of pride, wonder, and ownership among citizens that can contribute to further funding and support for urban renewal.
April 2, 2022
This book discusses success stories of building cycling infrastructure in several Dutch cities (Groningen, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, etc.), the history of urban planning in those cities over the last century, and how lessons learned in those cities can be and are being applied in North American cities to promote cycling and "human-scale design." This isn't a topic that I know much at all about, so I learned a lot from this book and am now really interested in what's going on in my city.
I listened to this audiobook on my bike commute, which was probably the ideal way to listen to this, and I found it really thought-provoking. A few things that I found especially interesting: the authors sing the praises of non-"traditional" bikes like electric-assisted bikes, cargo bikes, and upright bikes as a way to encourage biking among people of varied ages/abilities. I hadn't thought much about how useful these could be. The in-depth looks at the different Dutch cities were also really interesting. Most broadly, though, I found one of the main ideas, that the impressive bike infrastructure and system in the Netherlands isn't just a foregone conclusion/how things have always been, really compelling; though people in the Netherlands have ridden bikes for a long time, there have been active decisions within the last century regarding how traffic in cities is conceptualized and how the flow of traffic (of various kinds) is directed. There's a lot of optimism in this view, I think, regarding how these kinds of decisions could also be made elsewhere.
I listened to this audiobook on my bike commute, which was probably the ideal way to listen to this, and I found it really thought-provoking. A few things that I found especially interesting: the authors sing the praises of non-"traditional" bikes like electric-assisted bikes, cargo bikes, and upright bikes as a way to encourage biking among people of varied ages/abilities. I hadn't thought much about how useful these could be. The in-depth looks at the different Dutch cities were also really interesting. Most broadly, though, I found one of the main ideas, that the impressive bike infrastructure and system in the Netherlands isn't just a foregone conclusion/how things have always been, really compelling; though people in the Netherlands have ridden bikes for a long time, there have been active decisions within the last century regarding how traffic in cities is conceptualized and how the flow of traffic (of various kinds) is directed. There's a lot of optimism in this view, I think, regarding how these kinds of decisions could also be made elsewhere.
April 4, 2024
The book provides engaging content for a variety of readers, including urbanism students, experienced professionals, or even laypersons interested in urban development/transport/cycling. The authors have developed a finely crafted inspirational and visionary narrative, rich in emotion and powerful metaphors at times. While some may critique the depth of its argumentation as not rigorous enough, the book nevertheless leaves a robust impression on the reader. Reasonable attempts are made to disentangle details regarding specific (well-known to experts) success stories from the Netherlands and beyond (North America, Auckland).
The book's essence lies not in delving into an exhaustive scientific discourse on cycling but rather in painting a comprehensive picture of the pursuit of "Building the Cycling City," delivering on its promise from the outset/title. Regardless of one's level of expertise in the field, I believe reading this book will be a rewarding experience. It will either deepen one's understanding of the subject matter or reignite a passion for contributing to cycling infrastructure/culture/cities.
RECOMMENDED READ!
Personal touch: As an urbanist who completed his education in the Netherlands, took his first professional steps there, and lived in the country for five years, the book touched me on a personal level. Thanks to the authors for this!
The book's essence lies not in delving into an exhaustive scientific discourse on cycling but rather in painting a comprehensive picture of the pursuit of "Building the Cycling City," delivering on its promise from the outset/title. Regardless of one's level of expertise in the field, I believe reading this book will be a rewarding experience. It will either deepen one's understanding of the subject matter or reignite a passion for contributing to cycling infrastructure/culture/cities.
RECOMMENDED READ!
Personal touch: As an urbanist who completed his education in the Netherlands, took his first professional steps there, and lived in the country for five years, the book touched me on a personal level. Thanks to the authors for this!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews