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7 - Hard Work in Paradise. The Contested Making of Amsterdam as a Cycling City
- Edited by Peter Cox, Lunds Universitet, Sweden, Till Koglin, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
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- Book:
- The Politics of Cycling Infrastructure
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 03 March 2021
- Print publication:
- 29 January 2020, pp 133-156
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Summary
Introduction
In 1900, there were approximately 200 motorcars in the Netherlands; today it is close to 8.5 million, or one car for every two people. Amsterdam alone has over 250,000 cars. These numbers indicate that the Netherlands has followed the general mobilisation trend in the Western world, reaching an even higher car density than most countries in terms of vehicles per square kilometre (www.nationmaster. com). Yet in one significant aspect, it has taken an exceptional course in mobility patterns, only comparable to parts of Denmark and a handful of other urban areas across the globe (Pucher and Buehler, 2012). Despite being fully motorised, it has maintained and fostered a vital mainstream practice of cycling and bicycle infrastructure, especially in larger and midsized cities such as Utrecht, Zwolle and Groningen (Harms et al, 2016). Amsterdam is the most prominent and internationally best-known example of this phenomenon. Some say that in the Netherlands everybody cycles. It is indeed true that almost everybody cycles at least once a week, and the diversity of cyclists is a unique and often acknowledged feature. The fact that cycling levels are as high, if not higher, for women than for men is an especially radical difference from most other cycling contexts. The same goes for the remarkably high cycling levels among both teenagers and the elderly (Harms et al, 2014). There are, however, continuous concerns about especially non-Western migrant populations that, although they cycle more than similar populations in other countries, cycle less overall than the non-migrant population (although this varies according to gender and degree of urbanisation, see Van der Kloof, 2015). This correlation is further blurred by spatial variables that relate to the neighbourhoods in which migrant populations are represented. In addition, cycling and the bicycles used in Amsterdam are recently changing from a ‘national habitus’ of conspicuous non-consumption (Kuipers, 2013) to a symbol of cosmopolitan distinction, especially of the upper middle class (Boterman, 2018).
Outsiders often present Amsterdam as little less than a cycling paradise (for example, Pucher and Buehler, 2008). Indeed, although in other Dutch cities cyclists are more appreciative of cycling conditions, and those cities often boast higher cycling levels (Harms et al, 2014), Amsterdam is a more pleasant and safer place to ride than most cities around the globe.
30 - Cycling Is An Acquired Skill: a Cycling City Is Created Through Trial and Error
- Virginie Mamadouh, Anne van Wageningen
- Translated by Gioia Marini
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- Book:
- Urban Europe
- Published by:
- Amsterdam University Press
- Published online:
- 05 February 2021
- Print publication:
- 30 November 2016, pp 243-250
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Summary
European cities such as London, Paris and Munich are outdoing each other with plans for bicycle highways, under the motto ‘going Dutch’. But doesn't this simplify things too much?
Cycling is increasingly being embraced as a crucial ingredient for sustainable mobility in European cities. The Dutch are often praised as an inspiring example. At first sight the simplicity of the bicycle is very appealing: it is a relatively simple means of transport that can serve a wide range of complex purposes. However, growing interest from various academic disciplines is increasingly revealing that this image ignores the mutual links between cycling and all kinds of social, cultural, economic and spatial processes. This raises important questions. Cycling requires more active attention and examination, not only in non- Dutch cities where cycling needs to grow beyond its marginal position, but also in the Dutch context. This chapter covers a number of striking connections. But first of all, let us examine why bicycles are seen as a partial solution to the classic mobility dilemma.
Mobility dilemma
Mobility can be defined as the possibility for moving people, goods or information. Professor of Transport Planning Luca Bertolini states that it creates a fundamental dilemma between the dependence on mobility and its negative effects.’ On the one hand it is a condition for economic development as well as civic engagement and social emancipation: it enables people and businesses to participate in activities relevant to them. But on the other hand mobility is producing ever more visible negative effects: energy consumption, air pollution, noise pollution, fragmentation of landscapes and cities, lack of safety, use of space, etc. Consequently, urban mobility policy is increasingly a balancing act. Cycling seems to have the best credentials to date: it considerably increases the action radius compared to walking, without creating the aforementioned negative effects for society. What's more, cycling is often associated with a spectrum of bonus effects: major health benefits, broad accessibility and even increased interaction among people and between people and their surroundings. In turn, these effects are associated with social capital: with happy, socially equitable and fair towns and cities. It is perhaps no coincidence that cycling is a very popular activity in the Netherlands (27 percent of all journeys are made on the bicycle) and that, according to the United Nations, Dutch children are the happiest in the world.