
Building the Cycling City
240 pages
6.5 x 8.375
240 pages
6.5 x 8.375
In car-clogged urban areas across the world, the humble bicycle is enjoying a second life as a legitimate form of transportation. City officials are rediscovering it as a multi-pronged (or -spoked) solution to acute, 21st-century problems, including affordability, obesity, congestion, climate change, inequity, and social isolation. As the world’s foremost cycling nation, the Netherlands is the only country where the number of bikes exceeds the number of people, primarily because the Dutch have built a cycling culture accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or economic means.
Chris and Melissa Bruntlett share the incredible success of the Netherlands through engaging interviews with local experts and stories of their own delightful experiences riding in five Dutch cities. Building the Cycling City examines the triumphs and challenges of the Dutch while also presenting stories of North American cities already implementing lessons from across the Atlantic. Discover how Dutch cities inspired Atlanta to look at its transit-bike connection in a new way and showed Seattle how to teach its residents to realize the freedom of biking, along with other encouraging examples.
Tellingly, the Dutch have two words for people who ride bikes: wielrenner (“wheel runner”) and fietser (“cyclist”), the latter making up the vast majority of people pedaling on their streets, and representing a far more accessible, casual, and inclusive style of urban cycling—walking with wheels. Outside of their borders, a significant cultural shift is needed to seamlessly integrate the bicycle into everyday life and create a whole world of fietsers. The Dutch blueprint focuses on how people in a particular place want to move.
The relatable success stories will leave readers inspired and ready to adopt and implement approaches to make their own cities better places to live, work, play, and—of course—cycle.
"A fantastic history of the Dutch evolution into the bike-capital of the world and how its history and solutions can be applied...elsewhere. It should be required reading for every politician, planner, advocate, traffic engineer, or anyone else involved in the livable streets movement."
Streetsblog San Francisco
"All designers of bicycle infrastructure would do well to read the book...It's a book that even many cycling advocates would do well to read...Most importantly, it's a book that should be in the hands of every elected official of every city everywhere."
Transportation Planning
"An informative and enjoyable read that will inspire anyone interested in learning more about Dutch transportation planning and policies...Building the Cycling City left me inspired."
Sightline
"Unflaggingly optimistic...Building the Cycling City is an accessible read."
Environment & Urbanization
"I would equate Building the Cycling City to riding a Dutch bike. You don't want to rush through it like a road bike, but it hauls a lot of lessons from the Dutch cycling experience which are practical to North American cities and delivered in an upright, easy to read manner."
Dandyhorse
"If cycling as a mode of transportation interests you and you're not impressed with our half-ass bike lanes, Building the Cycling City should be on your reading list."
Urban Review Saint Louis
"Excellent."
Resilience.org
"Beautifully crafted...recommended to all the cycling advocates, city and town planners, city design architects, municipal corporations, road traffic and safety departments, companies and officials involved in urban infrastructure development, politicians, citizen activists...and every one who believes in making our cities more livable ."
Pedal and Tring Tring blog
"In sharing their two-wheeled adventures and the lessons of Europe's greatest cycle cities, the Bruntletts offer a pragmatic and hopeful vision of the future. Building the Cycling City shows how all cities can follow the Dutch blueprint for health, happiness, and mobility freedom."
Charles Montgomery, author of "Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design"
"Bruntlett and Bruntlett make the definitive case that cycling cities are livable cities. But unless we all demand more, as the Dutch have and continue to do, we'll compromise our health, the safety of our children, and our pocketbooks. For anyone who cares about how cities transform to become places for people, this book will show you how it is done."
Jennifer Keesmaat, former Chief Planner, City of Toronto and Chief Executive Officer, Creative Housing Society
"When it comes to understanding how the urban biking revolution is transforming cities and the lives of real people, Melissa and Chris are the real deal. Now they have written a book that is engaging, inspiring, and practical. You don't have to love the Dutch way of building cities to love this book—you just need to love great storytelling, and want YOUR city to be better."
Brent Toderian, City Planner & Urbanist, TODERIAN UrbanWORKS, former Chief Planner, City of Vancouver
"Building the Cycling City shows how people worldwide inspire each other to create better cycling cities. The book celebrates local heroes who choose to adapt Dutch ideas to their own demands. The resulting urban transformations often became an inspiration to Dutch city builders themselves. Melissa and Chris Bruntlett offer not only inspiring stories, but also concrete plans and effective strategies for cycling cities. This is a must read for both cycling advocates and urbanists."
Saskia Kluit, CEO, Fietsersbond and President, Dutch Cycling Embassy
Preface
Introduction: A Nation of Fietsers
Chapter 1: Streets Aren't Set in Stone
Chapter 2: Not Sport. Transport.
Chapter 3: Fortune Favors the Brave
Chapter 4: One Size Won't Fit All
Chapter 5: Demand More
Chapter 6: Think Outside the Van
Chapter 7: Build at a Human Scale
Chapter 8: Use Bikes to Feed Transit
Chapter 9: Put Your City on the Map
Chapter 10: Learn to Ride Like the Dutch
Conclusion: A World of Fietsers
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Saturday, September 8, 2018 - 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
This event is free to attend with no reservation required. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
Click here for more information.
Our Cityride is Vancouver's biggest mass-participation, non-competitive bike ride; an event for all ages and abilities, focused around a fun and festive atmosphere.
This year, Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett from Modacity will lead a family-friendly convoy of cargo (and regular) bikes on the open streets of Downtown Vancouver, for what promises to be a spectacular evening. Everyone is most welcome to join us.
Simply register at ourcityride.com (adults are $20, kids are free!), and assemble at the Modacity tent in David Lam Park before 5pm.
They will also be selling (and signing) copies of their book Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality.
Book Ride #VIADUCT100
Sun, 26 August 2018
12:00 PM – 6:30 PM EDT
Discover a new author! Newcomer stories in fiction, memoir & graphic novel as you ride along this necessary cycling corridor.
In PRINCE EDWARD VIADUCT PARK at 2:30 pm we'll be found beside the steel and concrete Prince Edward Viaduct. Did you know it was constructed in three parts: a bridge over Rosedale Ravine, an embankment along Bloor Street and a 1,620 foot bridge over the Don Valley linking Castle Frank with Danforth Avenue. It was completed after almost four years to an official ceremony on October 18, 1918.
Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett will share their stories of emerging bike cultures from around the world as gathered in their new book Building the Cycling City.
In collaboration with Bike City, Produced by the City of Toronto.
Picture a Toronto cyclist, and what do you see: a well-to-do downtowner riding a “fixie”, or a sporty suburbanite clad in Lycra? Look a little deeper though, and you may be surprised by what you find.
BIKE MINDS is Toronto’s bicycle-themed storytelling event, where guests share personal, positive, and inspiring stories related to cycling.
Over its first four sold-out events from January to April 2018, BIKE MINDS explored cycling through four themes: Belonging, Lifestyle, Discovery, and Identity. We heard stories from a wide range of backgrounds, including newcomers, neighbours, civil servants, and community leaders, who've all had unique and powerful experiences related to cycling.
The theme of this special-edition episode is Bikes+Transformation, and will feature stories of how cycling has transformed people’s lives, plus a story from Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett of Modacity about their new book, Building the Cycling City.
This event is produced in collaboration with Bike City: How industry, advocacy and infrastructure shaped Toronto's cycling culture, an exhibit currently running at The Market Gallery. Bike City is produced by the City of Toronto.
6:00PM - Doors open
6:30PM - Event starts
8:00PM - Stories end, mix-and-mingle
FEATURING STORIES FROM:
- Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett, Founders of Modacity and Authors of Building the Cycling City
- Mahita Thota, CultureLink Bike Host Mentor and Toronto Newcomer
- Coralie Bruntlett, 12-year-old Vancouverite who rides a bike (but isn’t a cyclist)
- Dean Psarras, the "Converted Cyclist": husband and father who hated his car commute and started biking instead
- Madeleine Cho, Youth Volunteer at Charlie’s Freewheels and Mental Health Advocate
The bicycle supports the first steps of newcomers to Toronto, brings us closer to friends and family, and teaches us more about ourselves than we ever could have imagined. Whether you’re a casual rider, a passionate advocate, or simply a fan of great storytelling, we hope you’ll join us in celebration of all the bicycle has to offer, at this positive and inclusive event.
BIKE MINDS is co-hosted by Matt Pinder, author of the blog Beyond the Automobile, and Michelle Kearns, transportation professional and cycling researcher at the University of Toronto.
To find out more, visit www.beyondtheautomobile.ca/bikeminds.
This special edition of BIKE MINDS is made possible through the support of the City of Toronto, the Metcalf Foundation, and our volunteers. This event is family-friendly and the venue is accessible.
On Monday, August 27th, please join us at The eBar to celebrate the release of the book Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality.
Enjoy laughs, learning, and a pint, as Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett discuss the process of the Netherlands becoming the world's top cycling nation, and how North American cities are starting to implement Dutch-inspired ideas and infrastructure.
Presented by the Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation.
Copies of the book will be available for sale.
Doors open at 6:30pm. The program starts at 7:00pm.
Announcing the Ottawa launch of the new book byMelissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett (Modacity), Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality. Chris and Melissa will be there for a presentation and to sign copies of the book. Expect beer, food, laughs, and learning as they discuss the process of the Netherlands becoming a cycling-friendly culture and place, and what is happening in North America.
Bike parking will be available on site.
Accessibility info: There is a set of stairs leading to the venue entrance. Bathrooms are located down a flight of stairs in the basement.
On Thursday, August 30th, please join us at Siboire Brewpub (5101 St-Laurent Blvd.), to celebrate the release of the book Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality.
Expect beer, food, laughs, and learning as Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett discuss the process of the Netherlands becoming the world's top cycling nation, and how North American cities are starting to implement Dutch-inspired ideas and infrastructure.
Copies of the book will be available for sale.
Doors open at 6:30pm. The program starts at 7:00pm.
On Tuesday, September 4th, please join us at 718 Cyclery to celebrate the release of our book Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality.
Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett will discuss the process of the Netherlands becoming the world's top cycling nation, and how North American cities are starting to implement Dutch-inspired ideas and infrastructure.
This event is free to attend with no reservation required. Copies of the book will be available for sale.
Doors open at 6:30pm. The program starts at 7:00pm.
The Bike Talk Social Hour is a monthly event held at Aeronaut and put on by The Somerville Bicycle Committee. The idea behind the series is to bring together the cycling community- cyclists, bike advocates and the bike curious to socialize over beer and share their joy of cycling. The September Bike Talk features Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett, co-founders of Modacity and authors of Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality. Come out and share a beer and hang out with fellow bicycle advocates and bike enthusiasts.
On Thursday, September 6th, please join Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett at Firth & Wilson Transport Cycles to celebrate the release of the book Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality.
Expect beer, food, laughs, and learning as Melissa and Chris Bruntlett discuss the process of the Netherlands becoming the world's top cycling nation, and how North American cities are starting to implement Dutch-inspired ideas and infrastructure.
Presented by 5th Square.
Copies of the book will be available for sale. More about this project: http://www.modacitylife.com/building-the-cycling-city/
Doors open at 6:30pm. The program starts at 7:00pm.
On Thursday, September 13th, please join us at Dudoc Vancouver to celebrate the release of our book Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality.
Expect food, drinks, laughs, and learning as Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett discuss the process of the Netherlands becoming the world's top cycling nation, and how North American cities are starting to implement Dutch-inspired ideas and infrastructure.
Special guest speakers also include José Besselink from the City of Rotterdam and Marijn Kik from the City of Utrecht.
Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) will be on site to provide secure (and free!) bicycle valet parking.
Copies of the book will be available for sale. More about this project: http://www.modacitylife.com/building-the-cycling-city/
Doors open at 6:30pm. The program starts at 7:00pm. This event is free, but registration via Eventbrite is required.
With 22.5 million bicycles for a population of 18 million, the Netherlands is undoubtedly the world’s top cycling nation. However, there remains an erroneous belief that – while the Dutch can provide encouragement – their methods are unrepeatable, and their results unattainable.
Miles of separated cycle tracks, dedicated bike streets, and off-street paths are something that only works for “them” and not “us.” But even they started somewhere. Can the country that has spent decades building comfortable cycling infrastructure provide a blueprint for Metro Vancouver?
To explore the issue, we've invited Chris Bruntlett and Melissa Bruntlett, founders of Modacity and authors of Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality. Joining them will be Councillor Linda Buchanan from the City of North Vancouver and Kati Tamashiro, Section Head for Active Transportation with the City of Vancouver. As always, bring your questions, comments, and your lunch!
Liveability city experts Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett from Modacity are coming to Canberra to share the triumphs and challenges of the Dutch cycling story, as well as demonstrate how the Dutch lead is being followed in cities around the world to make their streets more vibrant, equitable, and socially connected. Copies of their book Building the Cycling City will be for sale.
RSVP: TCCS.ActiveTravel@act.gov.au
Speakers: Chris and Melissa Bruntlett from Modacity
Bicycle Network is excited to host the Melbourne leg of the promotional tour for Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett's book, Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality on Tuesday 20 November.
The Bruntlett’s are the brains behind Modacity and in their book they triumphs and challenges of the Dutch cycling story, and explore the journey behind creating the Netherlands’ internationally revered bike culture and infrastructure.
They also tackle the insidious “that would never work here” attitude that continues to stifle real change from happening around the world, whilst highlighting some of the ideas that are being adopted in global cities, and drawing out concrete lessons for others to follow.
Melissa and Chris Bruntlett from Modacity.com
Discussing and promoting their fascinating new book, Building the Cycling city: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality.
6:00pm, Tuesday 20 November
Bicycle Network Melbourne HQ
Level 4, 246 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 3000
The Bruntletts: Ride, presentation, and book signing, all in the one amazing night.
"Around the world, countries marvel at the Netherland’s impressive cycling culture and infrastructure while an insidious “that would never work here” attitude prevents real change from happening. But the Dutch overcame many of the same challenges as other car-clogged countries, and their story is an important model for moving the rest of the world toward a more human-scale, bike-friendly future.
In Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality, Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett share the triumphs and challenges of the Dutch cycling story, show how some of the ideas are already being adopted in global cities, and draw out concrete lessons for other places to follow their lead."
Come join us on the 23rd of November for another wonderful and intimate evening with Women in Ubanism, and our special guests, Melissa and Chris, as they launch their new book in Aotearoa.
The night will start off with a short ride around the city with Melissa and Chris, you do not need tickets for this part of the evening. Simply join us at Peach Pit, on Auckland's Karangahape Road from 5pm with your bike to come on a safe and guided city jaunt, pre-event. You will need tickets to come to the book talk and signing, and as usual these are limited, so get in quick!
Brought to you by: Women in Urbanism, Frocks on Bikes, and the Auckland Design Office.
In recent years, some urban planners have begun to explore ways to unlock Dutch-style multimodality, hoping to utilize the bicycle as a tool to increase public-transit ridership and decrease car dependency. In fact, the case could be made that—with the right conditions—bikes are better placed to deal with the lower population densities and longer distances traveled in North America.
Explore how we can all learn from the Dutch model of using bikes to feed public transit in this free webinar. Lessons will be easily applicable to a North American audience. Local case studies will be highlighted.
Panelists include:
- Chris and Melissa Bruntlett, Building the Cycling City authors and Owner/Operators of Modacity
- Kat Maines, Planner at Alta Planning + Design
- Michelle Poyourow, Senior Associate at Jarrett Walker + Associates
Corinne Kisner, Deputy Director of NACTO, will moderate the conversation.
Your questions are welcome both when you register and during the event itself.
The Institute for Energy Studies speaker series convenes energy experts from on and off campus and connects the Western Washington University and Bellingham energy communities. Speakers will explore the diverse fields of energy research and development, and also debate timely issues that connect public policy and business thinking to emerging knowledge in energy science and technology.
* Tuesdays at 4 PM in AH 004
* The lectures are free and open to the public
* Students may register for ENRG 391 and receive 1 credit
Chris Bruntlett
“Building the Cycling City – The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality”
With 22.5 million bicycles for a population of 18 million, the Netherlands is undoubtedly the world’s top cycling nation. However, there remains an erroneous belief that – while the Dutch can provide encouragement – their methods are unrepeatable, and their results unattainable. Miles of separated cycle tracks, dedicated bike streets, and off-street paths are something that only works for “them” and not “us.” But even they started somewhere. Can the country that has spent decades building comfortable cycling infrastructure provide a blueprint for North American cities such as Bellingham?
Last weekend, Island Press brought Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett, authors of Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality, to Washington, DC for Washington Area Bicycle Association's annual 50 States Ride. The Bruntletts rode on a tandem bike 36 miles through the city, pedaling from Alabama Avenue to Wyoming Avenue with a team from Island Press that included two winners from the 2018 Bike Month Sweepstakes. After the ride, the Bruntletts gave a book talk to a standing-room only crowd at DC bookstore Politics and Prose. Check out photos from the ride below, and don't miss your chance to pick up the Building the Cycling City e-book for just $12.99 this month only.
What are your favorite cycling events? Share them in the comments below.
Katharine is the Publicity & Marketing Associate at Island Press.
Around the world, countries marvel at the Netherland’s impressive cycling culture and infrastructure while an insidious “that would never work here” attitude prevents real change from happening. But the Dutch overcame many of the same challenges as other car-clogged countries, and their story is an important model for moving the rest of the world toward a more human-scale, bike-friendly future.
In Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality, Melissa and Chris Bruntlett share the triumphs and challenges of the Dutch cycling story, show how some of the ideas are already being adopted in global cities, and draw out concrete lessons for other places to follow their lead. Drawing from historical context, interviews with local experts, and their own experiences riding in five Dutch cities, the Bruntletts explore topics ranging from bicycle style and parking to the relationship between cycling and public transit.
Read an excerpt from the book below and don't miss your chance to pick up the Building the Cycling City e-book for just $12.99 this month only.
Katharine is the Publicity & Marketing Associate at Island Press.