Recognizing bicycle parking as a critical component of any infrastructure network, The Hague’s Amare concert hall has opened 1,000 guarded and sheltered spaces—intended not just for ticket holders visiting the largest cultural building in the Netherlands, but anyone visiting the city’s busy centre.🧵

ICYMI Yesterday, I released this special conversation with @modacitylife.com about their fantastic new book Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Transformation, which highlights the groundbreaking work of female mayors, planners, advocates, & policymakers in reshaping urban youtu.be/jHDKb0l4nHg

Years ago, while watching the incredible transformations of places like Paris, we asked ourselves, “Why are these leaders breaking through the status quo?” After analyzing eleven cities around the world, we found some answers, and it starts with prioritizing impact over power. youtu.be/jHDKb0l4nHg

Saturday | 10:05 PT We talk with Melissa Bruntlett about the new book, Women Changing Cities, highlighting women leaders from Tirana, Albania (pictured below) to Barcelona and Sydney, Australia. @modacitylife.com @thewaroncars.bsky.social @visionzerovancouver.ca

In the heart of Breda, in the south of the Netherlands, a dramatic metamorphosis is underway: the Nieuwe Mark project, where a corridor once dedicated to cars is being transformed into a blue-green vein; part of the city's vision to make its centre more beautiful, liveable, natural and sustainable.🧵

We’re heading to London for a presentation and panel on the topic of Women Changing Cities! Join us for this special event at the British Library on December 3rd, presented in partnership with the Academy of Urbanism and Netherlands Embassy in the UK. Free registration: www.modacitylife.com/events

YAY! IT’S PREMIERE DAY Pls join us today, Fri, Nov 7th, at 2 pm EST / 8 pm CET for a special conversation with @modacitylife.com about their amazing new book Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Transformation. Sign in to your YouTube account to participate in the live chat youtu.be/jHDKb0l4nHg

The two of us were walking hand-in-hand through the centre of Delft this evening, when Melissa suddenly caught something out the corner of her eye. “Hey look! Could that really be?” To our surprise and delight it was: our new release displayed in the bookshop window. Local celebrity status achieved!

Embodying the principles of directness and attractiveness, Amsterdam’s Nesciobrug—floating 11m above and 780m across the Amsterdam–Rijnkanaal—is the longest non-motorised bridge in the Netherlands, and a shining example of what’s possible when cities don’t allow the car to dictate their priorities.🧵

“You're not alone in wanting a better world, one in which cars are relegated to their proper use. Cars are tools that can be useful at certain times and places. They’re not gods. They’re not the foundation of our society. They should serve us. We should not serve them. There can be life after cars.”

Public transport often treats bikes as a luxury—or worse a competitor—but without them leaves revenue on the table. For 25 years, the Dutch have extended the reach of their railways through investments in (300,000) parking spaces and (25,000) shared bikes. The result? A doubling of train ridership.

Like the circulatory system delivers oxygen and nutrients throughout the human body, Amsterdam’s 1,300 km network of bike paths, lanes and streets delivers half a million daily cyclists—the lifeblood of the city—to their work, school and everywhere in between. From the “Amsterdam in Motion” exhibit.

NEW: Who are the 7 inaugural inductees enshrined into the URBANISM/CITY-BUILDING SOCIAL MEDIA HALL OF FAME? My new STARTER PACK! @modacitylife.com @streetfilms.bsky.social @jasonthorne.bsky.social @katharinehayhoe.com @dieworkwear.bsky.social @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social @hackneycyclist.bsky.social

Whenever you cycle in the Netherlands, you are riding on the shoulders of giants. Tens of thousands of regular citizens who, five decades ago, took to the streets to fight back against the rampant rise of the car in their community. Without this defiant act, their country would look like any other.🧵

A reminder on this cozy Dutch weekend to register for the book launch for Women Changing Cities in Delft happening 19 November and staring at 18:30. See you there! www.eventbrite.nl/e/women-chan...

What a good week for new books. I’m so excited to read both of these! @thewaroncars.bsky.social & @modacitylife.com

"Mention women or gender and many men have the false assumption that they are not welcome. Let me be very clear for those men who are in doubt of their place in discussions about women and gender in urbanism: This is as much your issue as it is ours!" New post: modacitycreative.com/2025/10/31/n...

With a “Week of Learning” in Vancouver now in the rearview mirror, we look back fondly on an impactful program working with professionals and elected officials from across the region. Reassuring us that we hit the mark, Molly Barkowsky succinctly summarises her three takeaways for Spacing Magazine.🧵

Lest you doubt a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world, consider Keisha Mayuga: a young woman who improvised a kilometre-long pop-up cycle lane in Manila, sparking 500 kilometres of permanent infrastructure throughout the Philippines. theurbanactivist.com/mobility/com...

Een bijzonder trots moment voor deze drie nieuwe Nederlanders: voor het eerst stemmen bij landelijke verkiezingen als burgers van dit prachtige land! An especially proud moment for these three new Netherlanders: voting for the first time in a national election as citizens of this wonderful country!

In solidarity with @modacitylife.com @lucymaloney.bsky.social @sharrows.bsky.social soundcloud.com/biketalk/254...

This book is my current transit commute read! I attended the pre-launch of the book "Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation", by our old friends Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com at the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Vancouver. #UrbanismBookClub 1/

Nothing fills us with more pride and joy than scrolling through social media and spotting copies of #WomenChangingCities with readers across the globe. We rely heavily on word-of-mouth, so if you’ve read it, please tell a friend, and write a review for Goodreads, Amazon, or Google Books. Thank you!

“We need to start considering the role of care in our daily lives—all the unpaid tasks that are the essential foundation of society, and our economy couldn’t function without them. But cities are so focused on the commute to work they forget about the mobility of care.” biketalk.org/2025/10/2542...

“Kids make mistakes. Kids get distracted. It's our responsibility when designing cities to think, what is that child's experience and how do I ensure what I'm doing will have a positive impact. as opposed to putting the burden on their caregiver to ensure they're safe.” biketalk.org/2025/10/2541...

Hey Dutch friends! You're invited to the official Netherlands Launch of our book Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation! Hosted in partnership with TU Delft's Department of Urbanism, the event will include a presentation and panel with special guests. Tickets: bit.ly/3Lq1Ev5

"Cities are diverse collections of people that form the beautiful, vibrant fabric of where we visit and call home. When politicians reflect this diversity, their cities are more likely to benefit every resident. This is not a feminist agenda. This is just logic." usa.streetsblog.org/2025/10/20/w...

How can we make our cities and towns sustainable, healthy, functional and inspirational places to live and work? We've collected our favourite books on the subject here: uk.bookshop.org/lists/sustai... #Urbanism #Sustainability #GreenPolitics

“Changing transportation is more a power struggle than logic problem. While advocates may be right, we often lose because we're not politically strong enough to get decision-makers to back our solutions. Time and again, experiences have affirmed that being right is one thing and winning is another.”

City leaders, women and the other kinds, plus Slovenia bike tours @lucymaloney.bsky.social @modacitylife.com soundcloud.com/biketalk/254...

It's finally here! "Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves From the Tyranny of the Automobile" is now available wherever you buy books. Thank you to everyone who has made this day possible, including our amazing podcast listeners. We hope everyone finds the book valuable! www.lifeaftercars.com

In writing 'Women Changing Cities', it was critical to not just share stories of leaders in the limelight, but also those quietly working on the ground to realise urban transformation. Responsible for Paris' "sweet revolution" of 300 school streets, Priscilla Benedetti is one of those unsung heroes.

When stakeholders truly reflect the diversity of the places they represent, their cities are more likely to have public spaces and mobility infrastructure that benefit the lives of every resident.

Established in 1871 and spanning 220 km across 13 lines, Turin boasts one of the oldest and longest tram networks in Italy. Having backdropped more than a century of change, from the grandeur of the Savoy monarchy to the rise and fall of the Fiat empire, today it’s experiencing a quiet renaissance.🧵

Turin is a city best experienced on foot—although often, one hardly realises they’re outdoors. Stretching 18 kilometres through the historic centre, its network of covered porticos—elegant arcades lined with shops, cafés, and galleries—creates one of Europe’s most extensive pedestrian environments.🧵

Turin’s Bike Pride is a joyful form of protest, giving visibility and a voice to the thousands of citizens who choose to cycle each day despite a lack of safe, convenient infrastructure. Once a year, they congregate to ride 14 km of car-free streets while demanding more from their elected officials.

The movement to build "Slow Cities, Happy Cities" is being led by the collective desire to reclaim social spaces, a renewed focus on listening to people, and above all, the need to bring a feminist vision into the planning of cities. An honour for Melissa to present at Utopian Hours in Turin today!

While Turin is known as the “Detroit of Italy”, and home to the largest car manufacturer in the country, there is a tacit understanding its heart is no place for motor vehicles. The central square in Piazza San Carlo was stripped of parking in 2004, turning it into the main living room of the city.

“Paris is changing. There is a new attitude of green and sustainable ideals that are permeating the City of Light. Mayor Hidalgo has led its urgent and radical greening by introducing initiatives to reduce traffic and projects to reinvent the cityscape in a way that was undreamt of a few years ago.”

Whereas Vienna once saw an average of five days above 30°C each year, it now sees more than thirty, creating urgency for an ambitious and multifaceted re-greening strategy—embedded in many different policies and processes—which strives to improve climate resilience, public health and social equity.🧵

An Austrian adaptation of the Barcelona Superblock, Vienna is putting the finishing touches on its first Supergrätzl ("Super neighbourhood") in the tenth district, where through traffic is filtered out to regenerate an intersection into a liveable, climate-adapted, pedestrian-friendly public space.🧵

Recently, the Global Network for Popular Transportation (a project of SUMC) & Uber hosted a study tour in Delhi, gathering journalists to explore India’s mobility systems. Melissa Bruntlett of @modacitylife.com shares lessons from the study tour in a new @zagdaily.com article: bit.ly/3IYbsfd

Our life-changing move from Canada to the Netherlands was motivated by one thing: the ability for our children to grow up and us to grow old in a city that enables everyone to navigate their streets freely and independently, without being limited by the threat of motor traffic. youtu.be/fZ79el1t4ok

“Mounting evidence shows cities designed for and by women take a more intersectional approach. At the same time, these measures are shown to contribute to more vibrant and flourishing places, focused on more inviting walking, cycling, and public transport and spaces.” www.forbes.com/sites/carlto...

A lot of mobility innovation focuses on making existing options even more comfortable for the most privileged, at the expense of children, the elderly, people with low incomes or disabilities. If we’re not designing for them, we're designing ourselves out of the system: fair-mobility.eu/the-library/

What a week Vancouver! Seven different events over the course of six days was always ambitious, but we remain grateful to be able to share our work and insights in the place that started it all for us as advocates for healthier, happier, and more human-scale cities. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Recently got to hear @modacitylife.com talk about their new book, Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation. It struck me that many of the leadership qualities they highlighted are also what the US desperately needs (but is lacking) from so-called national leaders right now.

Weekend reading...

It’s been an exhilarating, exhausting and emotional week, fantastically finished with a social ride in North Vancouver—reminding us why it’s called the “wet coast”. Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket and/or a book, and made time to come see and speak with us. It really does mean the world to us.

Seamlessly linking key destinations between the Spirit Trail and Seabus terminal, North Vancouver’s Esplanade has been transformed into a complete street. The wider sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and Dutch-style intersections help to create a more safe and welcoming environment for all road users.