May 28, 2020 - From Rotterdam to Rome, cities around the world are mobilizing a new order centered around bicycles and sensible mobility as a cure for the pandemic and the chronic problems they’ve been dealing with for years.
City planners are trumpeting the call for change and momentum is building for more liveable and sustainable cities which share universal challenges. Holland has long been a successful protagonist in this regard with an impressive cycling culture and infrastructure.
“Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality” by Melissa and Chris Bruntlett is a detailed, historical outline of the triumphs and challenges of the Dutch cycling story (order here).
Former chief planner of Toronto, Jennifer Keesmaat, is spearheading a 2020 Declaration for Resilience in Canadian Cities as the wake up call is upon us. Vancouver City Council just voted to reallocate at least 11% of the total city street space to “people-focused public space” – an estimated 220-250km. Montreal recently unveiled one of the world’s largest cycling and walking strategies – 320km. And Calgary’s State of our City 2020 was released on May 27.
Urbanists like Brent Toderian, Vancouver’s former chief planner, are keen to ensure that lessons learned during Covid-19 are here to stay – check out his #QuestionsForToderian
The rallying cry is getting louder around the globe and the real hope is that these changes will be permanent and a new era of a more sensible, sustainable, equitable, economical and environment-friendly state of affairs is here to stay as bicycles trump cars to give cities back to the people.
See below and watch Bob Dylan perform The Times They Are A Changin’ 1964 here.
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