Leah Shahum returns to San Francisco from a 7-month sabbatical in Amsterdam with a new perspective on making cities bike-friendly the Dutch way.
Shahum says San Francisco has many of the factors that have made Amsterdam so successful in encouraging bicycling, including narrow streets, similar population density and higher-than-average citizen participation:
"The two cities' most obvious difference is terrain. Amsterdam is as famous for flatness as San Francisco is for hilliness. Yet, I contend that in San Francisco we narrow that disadvantage with gears (almost non-existent in Amsterdam), bike racks on buses, and, the fact that most of us can choose to pedal around, instead of straight up, steep hills for many trips."
Shahum also found that bicycle culture is a relatively new phenomenon in Amsterdam, which is encouraging for changing opinions and habits in the U.S.
FULL STORY: Lessons from Amsterdam: How SF Can Bicycle Toward Greatness
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
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City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions