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building the cycling city - the dutch blueprint for urban vitality. melissa & chris bruntlett. island press paperback. 223pp illus. £19.45

building the cycling city - bruntlett

cycling, as a means of transport, has moved up the political agenda recently. those of us who believe in the conspiracy theory, would have it that this is in order to deflect public scrutiny from the minstrations over britain's departure from the european union. that particular theory is, of course, undermined by the knowledge that this agenda ascension is also happening in countries other than the uk. so perhaps the bicycle's golden moment is finally on the final landing approach, though it's hard to deny that at least some of this approbation has arrived at the behest of the electric bicycle.

either way, beggars (as we might well classify ourselves), probably shouldn't be choosers; if our overlords and masters have finally realised what we've all known for many a long year, would it be undiplomatic to shout 'hooray' and say 'i told you so'?

more than likely.

the year 2007 is generally reckoned to be the turning point at which the majority of the global population lived in cities, outnumbering those described as residing in rural areas. it's a trend that shows little sign of diminishing; by 2014, statistics alleged that 54% of the world's population lived in cities and by midway through this century, forecasts point towards this number reaching 66%. tautologically, this will undoubtedly entail an increase in size for the majority of the world's cities, an expansion which might well impinge on the rurality from which many of their citizens originated.

as such, those cities will necessarily have to adapt dramatically to not only accept the forecast increase in numbers, but also to adapt and improve their transport infrastructures to cope with differing needs and increased demand. the latter factor will prove necessary not solely to maintain or improve living conditions, but in order to efficiently move people from home to work, to school or to the shopping mall. that there is no 'one-size-fits-all' is made manifestly apparent in this concise book from melissa and chris bruntlett.

it's worth my pointing out at this early stage in my review, that the vancouver (canada) based bruntletts are co-founders of 'modacity' "a creative agency using words, photography and films, to inspire happier, healthier, simpler forms of mobility." according to the preface, having moved to vancouver's east-side, they found a diminished need to use their motor car, ultimately dispensing with it altogether and making all their journeys "...by foot, bicycle, public transit and rental car...". this born-again' status, encouraged them to document their new-found revelatory status, leading to a five-week, five city venture to the netherlands "...to gather...inspiring cycling stories and share them through words, photography and film."

this they proceed to do (understandably omitting the film portion) over the course of the subsequent 200 plus pages, contending that countries such as denmark may have arguably achieved a higher profile with regard to their allegedly superior cycling facilities at the expense of the less ostentatious nature of the netherlands. i do wonder if this is an exploratory poke in the eye at mikael colville-andersen's copenhagenize, given that the subsequent narrative fails to mention him even once. but then again, perhaps i'm too much in thrall to the conspiracy theory.

"The Danish capital of Copenhagen may get a great deal of press and endless plaudits as the world's foremost cycling city - but quite frankly, that is as much a product of effective marketing as (it is) a result of effective policy."

i find it slightly sad that north american outsiders should feel it necessary to start making comparisons of this sort; surely the ultimate aim is to improve the world's cycling infrastructure without the need to indulge in point scoring along the way?

that said, it's hard to fault 'Building the Cycling City' for its comprehensive and well illustrated exploration of the enviable facilities available to holland's cyclists. but the bruntlett's are astute enough to realise that part of holland's success in this respect, is due to the fact that "Cycling remains ubiquitous and normal among Dutch teens. No social stigma, no special gear, just autonomy and mobility." compare this with the apparent philosophy pertaining to british and north american youth, where the bicycle is often viewed as a stop gap means of transport until old enough to drive a car.

there is many a case study described throughout the book, well-documented, clearly and enthusiastically detailed, but staring at the narrative from a safe and hopefully neutral distance, i can't help thinking that, once again, it's a book that preaches predominantly to the converted. perhaps my cynicism extends just a cycle-path too far, but, just as with colville-anderson's book 'copenhagenize', i have great difficulty imagining anyone other than cyclists reading the bruntlett's treatise in support of the bicycle.

as modern-day cities become ever more complex in their needs, it is hard to think of a mode of transport that will better serve residents who need to travel quickly and safely from a to b. the bicycle is not the sole solution; but it quite likely is the glue that conjoins other modes such as railways, trams and buses. it is, by definition, endemic in dutch culture; it's just what they do, untainted by an obsession with the sporting milieu, more common across the rest of europe. the almost insurmountable obstacle in british and american cities lies with a predominating car culture. expecting that situation to change overnight, relies on a great deal more than optimism. and though all of us here need no convincing as to the way of the jedi, it has to be borne in mind that we are frequently in a small minority. it's hard to have folks adopt the way of the chainset if they simply don't want to.

i fervently hope that this book finds its way into the hands of those who make the sort of decisions that affect city life: politicians, planners, transport consultants etc. it's an unfortunate fact that, no matter how many cyclists purchase and enjoy this book, it's more often than not the non-cyclists who make the strategic policies that could turn the netherlands experience into a world-wide utopia.

wednesday 12 september 2018

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................