Can the Dutch model of a cycling city be exported?

Human powered transport, walking and cycling, will be a critical ingredient in helping the world address climate change. A story from the ABC’s “Blueprint for Living” discuses what’s happening in Holland and how we can learn from that.

The Netherlands has much to teach us about creating cycling cities.

Wooden clogs and windmills are stereotypical icons of The Netherlands, but a longer lasting and helpful export may be the idea of a purpose-built city with bicycles as part of the design.

This ‘Dutch model’ is the envy of many city councils who want to make their urban areas more cycle-friendly. But how realistic is it to adapt a city to this eco-friendly way of life?

Is it a question of infrastructure, citizen engagement, or both?

Listen to the Blueprint for Living from ABC Radio National - “Can the Dutch model of a cycling city be exported?”

Climate change mitigation and adaptation about understanding how our past worked

The mitigation and adaptation to climate change demands that we look closely at and reassess how we move about our urban areas.

This story talks about how important it is that we look back to pre-automobile days to understand and determine our way ahead.

Yes, the future, a future beyond the drivers of climate change is about understanding our past and no longer “driving” and relying more on human powered transport, walking and cycling, and public transit.

Read the Yes! Magazine story - “Retrofitting Suburbia: Communities Innovate Their Way Out of Sprawl.”