Public Spaces as Home

irishboyinlondon:

Streets for People - Amsterdam!

Some shots of local Amsterdam street life from a selection I captured over a 15 minute period in one location!

When it comes to liveable cities, Amsterdam has it down to a fine art. What’s more, the city and it citizens, have made a concious effort to make space for everyone - pedestrians, cyclists, cars, trams and buses.

The comprehensive network of fixed infrastructure for cycling (both in terms of provision of cycle lanes/paths on busy roads and on-street cycle parking) and public transport, coupled with reasonable speed limits on roads, are a visible commitment to creating a credible, comfortable and convenient alternative to car use.

It can be like this in every city. Declaring war on the motorist, cyclist or public transport user is unhelpful and unnecessary. Amsterdam’s approach demonstrates that a city with narrow streets and constrained by historical patterns of development (not dissimilar to London), can successfully accommodate many modes of transport. What is more important is the result that arises from the modal shift made possible by such commitment - a city that is humane, happy, economically robust, socially inclusive, accessible, equal, balanced, quieter, cleaner, safer, healthier…