Building the Cycling City

by Melissa Bruntlett

  Places such as Leiden are fairly typical of the Dutch experience, perhaps more so than the urban centers of Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Utrecht. “The Netherlands is quite a strange country. We have a lot of small- and mediumsized cities. I think cycling is an enabler of that,” Nout speculates. “It’s not the reason why, but it makes it possible.” According to him, smaller cities are better for bikes—one of the reasons why the Dutch disperse themselves into smaller clusters. These clusters remain very livable, with car-free centers and retail streets, and less noise. He believes this human-scale development allows for a different type of architecture and urban form, one that’s unlikely with the car as the dominant mode. “Most cities are still too large to walk everywhere. But that middle ground—in a city such as Groningen—that size of city is perfect for bicycles, and that’s why they’re perfect for people in general,” he explains, drawing comparisons to a similar-sized city in New Zealand, where the land mass will be much bigger: “You keep people close by because they just don’t travel as far, and the quality of social infrastructure will be much better.”

  While some of his work involves transferring Dutch-inspired policy to such varied locations as London, Ottawa, and Tirana, much of Nout’s day-to-day activity is spent on projects in the Netherlands, allowing him to find parallels between the debates happening inside and outside his homeland. “We’re having similar conversations on a different scale,” he says. “Even though the infrastructure is good, there’s still the same fight for space. The bicycles already have some space. They just need more, because they’re running out.”

  Having experienced both a mature and an emerging cycling culture during his lifetime, Nout has a unique and valuable perspective about how they can inform one another, likening them to a pair of romantic relationships. The Dutch, in this analogy, are the old couple that has been married for 50 or 60 years: “They know about each other. They appreciate each other. They live comfortably with each other. They don’t really want to discuss their issues anymore, because that might cause problems. They’re not going to push the boundaries. They’re not going to do anything outrageous. They’re just going to live happily and continue on. And, with a few exceptions, that is cycling in a lot of Dutch cities.”

  On the other hand, Nout likens an emerging cycling city such as Auckland, Calgary, or Vancouver to a young, passionate pair of lovers who have fallen head over heels in love: “You can really feel the enthusiasm. They are discovering each other. They want to impress and make it a long-lasting relationship, so they put a lot of effort into it. Some have more money than others, but that doesn’t matter. Sometimes they make mistakes, and that’s okay. They’re just getting to know each other. They still have their differences, but hopefully they’ll work it out.” That desire to impress one another is what leads to prestige projects such as the Peace Bridge and Lightpath, investing in something that’s shiny and colorful as a present for each other. “That’s a very nice environment to work in professionally,” Nout adds. “But also to ride in when you’re on a bicycle, because it makes it a bit more special.”

  According to Nout, the older, wiser, more-experienced couple has a responsibility to pass on their knowledge to that younger couple—but only to make sure that they’re headed the right direction, and help them avoid the same mistakes. “They shouldn’t tell them what to do,” he insists. “Your grandparents don’t give you direct instructions, but they teach you wise lessons just by showing you the essence of what’s important in life. They lead by example.” Later in life, that old couple can renew their vows, and cities such as Utrecht and Groningen are doing just that, which is an important step in realizing what they have got. To that end, the Dutch will continue to lead by example for decades to come, as the next generation of cycling cities watches intently, hoping to follow closely in their tracks.

  CONCLUSION: A WORLD OF FIETSERS

  Whether the Dutch want to celebrate it or not, the Netherlands is the poster child for what a nation built on two wheels looks like—a place built at a human scale that puts people first, and motor vehicles last. They’re quick to admit they’re not perfect, but through their challenges and triumphs, they discreetly provide the blueprint for other regions to use as a starting point on their own journeys towards becoming healthier, happier places. The task now is to keep sharing the lessons the Dutch have learned—what works and what doesn’t—and push others out from behind their respective status quos to see what’s possible once they let go of their dependence on cars.

  It won’t be easy. For over a century, the Dutch have been quietly—and quite happily—moving through their cities by bicycle, growing increasingly unaware of how truly unique they are as a society. This has inherently led to complacency about cycling—“What’s so special about it? It’s just what we do!” The average citizen has no idea that their daily lived experience is starkly different from that of their counterparts just across the border in Germany, let alone those across the Atlantic. So just how do you inspire other nations to follow suit, if you think that what you do is remarkably unremarkable?

  The first step is through the telling of stories. Cities throughout the Netherlands have been experiencing their own various transformations since the 1960s. From retrofitting ancient streets to completely remodeling city centers—they’ve each found a way to adapt to the changing habits of their citizens in a context that works for them, but may not work for others. And this is important. Because taking a prescriptive approach to building streets for people makes it easy to miss the bigger picture. The needs of a resident in Amsterdam are very different from those of their northern counterpart in Groningen, and at least equally so from those in smaller cities like Eindhoven who are trying to make their own mark in the world. It is the ability to assess how people want to move that is enabling innovative solutions to their own challenges.

  Just as these stories provide inspiration, peeling back the layers of history helps to identify that, while they appear to be a shining example of perfection from the outside, the Dutch and their approach to cycling are not infallible. They have made, and continue to make, many of the same mistakes as North American cities, razing neighborhoods and filling canals, all for the promise of freedom in the form of motorization. Even today, they struggle with issues such as rapid growth, lack of available space, transport poverty, and inequality. They are learning how to adjust to a changing world alongside their peers, and they are making their own mistakes.

  The question now, for cities inside and outside the Netherlands, is what kind of future do they want: one that accepts the current state of affairs, content with letting the car continue to dominate, or one that acknowledges that a truly happy city is one where people come first? The Dutch seem to be opting for places where children can roam, places where individuals regardless of ethnicity or economic status have access to myriad transportation options, and, most importantly, places with social connection instead of isolation.

  While technology is making it possible to stay connected with people thousands of miles away, it is also creating an opening for advances in automobiles that could be detrimental to much of the progress cities have been making to become more inclusive and welcoming. It’s hard to look at a shiny new electric vehicle—or its autonomous cousin—and not marvel at how far ingenuity has taken us. Technology has been the solution to so many problems, so how could it possibly be dangerous?

  Quite simply, the difficulty with allowing technology to drive development is that it lacks a key ingredient: humanity. People don’t love cities because they are efficient and logical. They love them for their warts-and-all imperfections: the ruins of ancient civilizations; the crowded, chaotic streets of major metropolises; the calm serenity of old coastal towns. Similarly, engineers and planners are infatuated not with speeds and surface treatments in the Netherlands, though those things are important. What is truly impressive are the people who seem to move so effortlessly from point A to B, traveling in a beautifully chaotic bal
let of bicycles, content and happy.

  Across the Atlantic, these ideas have started to permeate the collective minds of bicycle advocates and enthusiasts, represented through social media feeds filled with inspirational images from the Netherlands—visual hints of what is truly possible. The cycling culture they’ve enjoyed for so long is no longer a secret, and people in regions large and small are demanding the same for their own streets, and they’re starting to see results. Against the odds, North American cities have been transforming themselves to include more public spaces, safer cycling facilities, innovative bike-share schemes, and other, more inclusive mobility options. While they’re coming to the table a lot later than the Dutch, it does not make their journey any less remarkable. Arguably, theirs will be a revolution for the ages, one where places that accepted the modernist dream in its full glory—auto-dependence and all—only later began to recognize that they must do better to restore livability to their communities.

  Accepting this change—and the fact that it will take time—will be a difficult process. In an age of instant gratification, seeing and understanding what is actually achievable can dampen the enthusiasm of even the most steadfast activists. Technology is also helping to make knowledge-sharing easier than ever, connecting like-minded individuals and associations across borders and time zones. Organizations such as the Dutch Cycling Embassy and PeopleForBikes are working together to bring cultures together to learn from one another, translating what has worked for decades in the Netherlands into tangible solutions for the streets of Austin, San Francisco, and countless other cities.

  Shifting people’s perspectives will not be easy in places where it is still easier to hop in a car than it is to walk, bike, or take public transit even when people know it’s better for them and their city. Pair this with catastrophic death and injury rates to pedestrians and cyclists caused by years of auto-centric design and policy, and it is no surprise that people aren’t ditching their cars for the simplicity of the bicycle. Without investments in safer streets, matched with proportionate funding for better walkways and better bike paths, concepts like “Vision Zero” are nothing more than a nice idea.

  Despite all the challenges facing the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and so many other countries around the world, change is afoot. Small pockets of advocates have been steadily growing from a silent minority, becoming increasingly vocal and demanding change. No longer do they sit on the fringe, piping up at council meetings only to be drowned out by a sea of opposition. They are now the councilors, designers, and planners, challenging their fellow citizens to see what’s possible, and changing their streets for the better. Insisting that the Dutch are not guardians of some ancient and exclusive secret, they’re proving that what has happened in the Netherlands is very much possible anywhere. It just takes being bold, brash, and little bit adventurous.

  In the meantime, on any given street, at any given moment across the Netherlands, the Dutch keep on happily pedaling in a sea of bikes. Hopefully, as their stories are retold to them from passionate people—from near and afar—they can learn to feel genuine pride in what they’ve accomplished, and truly cherish it. Because it is only when everyone else can choose biking as a entirely normal way to get around that other nations will have succeeded in building their own remarkably unremarkable cycling cities. When everyone—young, old, rich, or poor, in every corner of the planet—is simply cycling, what a wonderful, bike-friendly world it will be.

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Melissa and Chris Bruntlett are the cofounders of Modacity, a creative agency using words, photography, and film to inspire happier, healthier, simpler forms of mobility. Together, they work with a variety of organizations—including municipal governments, transportation agencies, nonprofits, and corporate clients—to address the evolving needs of cities large and small, and enable a variety of mobility options as a way to create successful and more livable regions. They have garnered an international audience by sharing the stories of residents who benefit from these changes, and celebrating how designing human-scale streets makes them work better for everyone.

  Melissa and Chris’s stories of emerging bike cultures from around the world have been featured in Momentum Mag, Grist, Spacing, and the Huffington Post, as well as many local publications in their hometown of Vancouver. Best known as @modacitylife on social media, they continually challenge the auto-centric thinking that dominates the mainstream discourse, and present a compelling vision of a future where their two children—and countless others—can grow up enjoying the freedom of unlimited movement in a human-scale city.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  This book, and the work that led up to it, would not have been possible without the continued and unwavering support of those who have recognized and encouraged our passion for creating better cities in which we can live, work, play, and—of course—cycle.

  Thank you to Karm Sumal and Farhan Mohamed at Daily Hive for enabling us to share our stories with such a wide and varied audience, and for financing a significant portion of the 2016 trip to the Netherlands that provided the inspiration and impetus for this book.

  Thanks to Martin Bell and Brian Patterson of Urban Systems Ltd. for providing additional monetary support that made those travels a distinct possibility, and to Reid Hemsing at Two Wheel Gear for ensuring that all four of us were well equipped for our journey.

  Special thanks to the supporters who generously donated from their own pockets to give our family the trip of a lifetime: Matt Collins, Ruby Galanida, Einar Grieg, Erik Griswold, Joost Hanewinkel, David Hogg, Laura Jane, Paul Lancaric, Paul Martin, Sally McGouran, Megan Ramey, Veronica Rossos, and Dave Wodchis.

  Many thanks to Heather Boyer, our editor at Island Press, for helping us realize our dream, and to our pal John Simmerman of Active Towns, for connecting and starting us on this exciting path.

  Many of the themes explored in this book became clear after attending the 2017 Velo-city Conference in Arnhem-Nijmegen. That opportunity would not have arisen without the cooperation of the conference organizers: Sjors van Duren, Moniek van Daal, and Robert Smits.

  Of course, it would have been impossible to complete this book without all of the people who generously took the time to sit down with us for interviews, negotiating several time zones and Skype call-ins, as well as the individuals who selflessly assisted us in connecting with those interviewees, specifically: Jehudi van de Brug, Dale Calkins, Clarence Eckerson Jr., Bettina van Hoven, Kevin Quinlan, Seth Solomonow, and Herbert Tiemens.

  Finally, we could not have reached this milestone without the endless love and support of our parents: Wendy, Ed, Margaret, and Robert. You raised us to believe that we should follow our dreams, no matter how far away they have taken us; you’ve given us the freedom to make our own mistakes, find our own path, and see where this crazy journey takes us.

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