Amsterdam Cycle Chic - Amsterdam through Hungarian Eyes
This is my hope for London - a liveable, accessible, inclusive, healthy, safe city!
Posts tagged "amsterdam"
Streets for People - Amsterdam!
Some shots of local Amsterdam street life from a selection I captured over a 15 minute period in one location!
When it comes to liveable cities, Amsterdam has it down to a fine art. What’s more, the city and it citizens, have made a conscious effort to make space for everyone - pedestrians, cyclists, cars, trams and buses.
The comprehensive network of fixed infrastructure for cycling (both in terms of provision of cycle lanes/paths on busy roads and on-street cycle parking) and public transport, coupled with reasonable speed limits on roads, are a visible commitment to creating a credible, comfortable and convenient alternative to car use.
It can be like this in every city. Declaring war on the motorist, cyclist or public transport user is unhelpful and unnecessary. Amsterdam’s approach demonstrates that a city with narrow streets and constrained by historical patterns of development (not dissimilar to London), can successfully accommodate many modes of transport. What is more important is the result that arises from the modal shift made possible by such commitment - a city that is humane, happy, economically robust, socially inclusive, accessible, equal, balanced, quieter, cleaner, safer, healthier…
Eight to eighty, people of all ages cycling in the Netherlands
Great video by Mark Wagenbuur of NL Cycling showing that cycling in cities can be for everyone! He also has a video showing what happens when it rains!
Winter cycling in Amsterdam captured by Thomas Schlijper. You should check out his recent pictures of the ice skaters!
Another shot demonstrating Amsterdams great human scale environment - great architecture and a place where pedestrians, bicycles and cars share spaces respectfully and easily!
Ask me again why I like it here in Amsterdam…
Heading to amsterdam next weekend! Can’t wait! Anybody have any tips for nice cafes that make good coffee or some good restaurants?
the Jordaan district, Amsterdam
I love the Jordaan - it feels like a place that has the ‘right’ urban environment… intensely developed but on a noble human scale - with a great mix of residential and commercial uses side by side with friendly public spaces. It is criss-crossed by canals and liberally dotted with trees! The buildings have texture and character - each one is individually different but at the same time they all seem coherent! An amazing place to go for breakfast and chill out.
(photos: mine - so apologies about the quality!)
Amsterdam - city of cycling!
Amsterdam is an amazing cycling city where cyclists get real respect! This is just an excerpt of the many amsterdam bicycle/cycle infrastructure photos I took when I was there…I know…im a geek!
New York Times: The Dutch Way: Bicycles and Fresh Bread
Interesting opinion piece on bicycles in the New York Times written by an American living in Amsterdam!
As an American who has been living here for several years, I am struck, every time I go home, by the way American cities remain manacled to the car. While Europe is dealing with congestion and greenhouse gas buildup by turning urban centers into pedestrian zones and finding innovative ways to combine driving with public transportation, many American cities are carving out more parking spaces. It’s all the more bewildering because America’s collapsing infrastructure would seem to cry out for new solutions.
Geography partly explains the difference: America is spread out, while European cities predate the car. But Boston and Philadelphia have old centers too, while the peripheral sprawl in London and Barcelona mirrors that of American cities.
More important, I think, is mind-set. Take bicycles. The advent of bike lanes in some American cities may seem like a big step, but merely marking a strip of the road for recreational cycling spectacularly misses the point. In Amsterdam, nearly everyone cycles, and cars, bikes and trams coexist in a complex flow, with dedicated bicycle lanes, traffic lights and parking garages. But this is thanks to a different way of thinking about transportation.
Excellent magazine from Cities on Farming in the City, a project currently being exhibited at Arcam in Amsterdam! You can get more info on the project in their introductory video here. I checked it out when I was there…well worth the visit! They have some great infographics and case studies!
The magazine features a cross section of community led, policy led and design led urban agriculture projects.
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