Thanks to the @34ave.bsky.social #openstreet we have a community that is... -Safer -Greener -Happier -More friendly -Has more space for schools -Healthier -Quieter -Sustainable -Open to diversity & so much more! @nyc.streetsblog.org @openplans.org @thewaroncars.bsky.social @modacitylife.com

How does empathetic leadership and accessible communications create vibrant cities? Join us in Tallinn in September to find out! 📍 "Women Changing Cities" Book event fienta.com/melissa-chri... 📍 Professional Workshop: Shifting to Urban Vitality fienta.com/melissa-chri... More details by the links

In 2022, Rotterdam passed a visionary plan with an ambitious goal: create 20 hectares of new green space throughout the city by 2026. From street-side gardens to nature-based playgrounds, thousands of top-down and bottom-up projects of varying sizes have been realised within six organising tracks.🧵

Despite complaints about the cost, delays, or overcrowding, it’s undeniable that train travel in the Netherlands is key to creating a more accessible transportation choice for people throughout the country.

'De beste fietsstad ter wereld word je niet toevallig. Het is het resultaat van visie en investeringen.’ (Melissa & Chris Bruntlett, @modacitylife.com) De #Catharijnebrug in #Utrecht, gefotografeerd in 1968 en door mij, juli 2026. #stadsmens @zowasutrecht.bsky.social

Montréal has been laying the foundations of a cycling network for decades that has become one of the best examples on the continent. That's why we're excited to be returning for a book launch event hosted by our friends at @velo.qc.ca. Register here (space limited): www.velo.qc.ca/en/event/con...

One of the most pernicious myths about Dutch cities is they have always been designed for people, and are somehow finished with that process. In reality, places like Den Bosch spent decades accommodating growing volumes of motor traffic, often at the expense of public space, safety and liveability.🧵

Last night, our eldest graduated from Rotterdam Theatreschool, rolling up to the ceremony on the back of dad's bike. After everything we've experienced together, it was the most fittingly Dutch way to celebrate the end of one chapter and beginning of the next, as she moves to England for two years.

The world's best cycling cities aren't born. They're built. The Dutch approach isn't about culture or coincidence. It's about making choices that prioritize people over cars, and creating places where bikes become the safest, easiest, and most attractive option for everyone. WATCH: buff.ly/fAoV8lN

“Self-driving technology has the same discriminatory attitude toward non-automobile modes that need permission and beg for more space against a car-only street mentality. A mass consumer culture of self-driving would be just a replica of the same auto-oriented and dominated world we live in today."

“Many car owners assume they're fused to their machine, and don't need to walk anywhere. But even extreme users complete 20% of their trips by walking. This has profound implications. Even if a city claims to be vehicle-oriented, they still need to dedicate 20% of their mobility budget to walking."

Utrecht becoming the world’s best cycling city isn’t an accident of geography or nationality. It’s a product of vision and investment. Therefore the blueprint isn’t just Dutch. It can be applied anywhere. Culture doesn't create infrastructure. Infrastructure creates culture. youtu.be/MHFUBzE_EjQ

If the price of "Women Changing Cities" by Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com makes you hesitate, you're not getting a standard book. Over 60% of the pages have a color photo, giving a sense of the vibrant life created by leaders who made progress for human-friendlier cities. urbanism

Because two members of our family were overseas on Father’s Day, we never found the moment to celebrate it together. Today, the kids gave Dad a gift they knew he would cherish: a ride through Rotterdam aboard the historic Number 10 tram. A belated Father’s Day, but all the more memorable for it. 🚋

This remarkable before-and-after look at Utrecht shows that great cities aren't transformed overnight. They evolve through steady, people-first decisions that reclaim space from cars, add greenery, and make everyday cycling safer and more enjoyable. READ @bicycledutch.bsky.social: buff.ly/cYsimzy

Officially reopened last month, Utrecht's Park Paardenveld has been reimagined as a climate-resilient, people-focused public space. While the park itself first emerged from the restoration of the Catharijnesingel, its redesign turns leftover urban space dominated by cars into a true community park.🧵

The Dutch model shows how shifting the conversation from costs to returns can unlock healthier people, stronger economies, lower spending, and more productive cities. It's time to stop asking, "Can we afford to invest in cycling?" and start asking, "Can we afford not to?" READ: buff.ly/xzxsDa8

One of the privileges of bicycle diplomacy is seeing Dutch cities through other people’s eyes. Yesterday, Chris explored Amsterdam by duofiets with Mexican mobility leader Luis Álvarez-Icaza. Every transformation begins with a conversation. And sometimes, it takes place on a bicycle built for two.

We are thrilled to share that our book, ‘Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation’, has been selected as one of the ten finalists for the 2026 Pattis Family Foundation Global Cities Book Award, chosen from 81 submissions from around the world. www.metropolis.org/news/what-ar...

In Dutch cycling planning, safe and seamless connections are often what make the difference between a good network and a great one. And underpasses, like the one that opened beneath the Trekvlietbrug in The Hague last week, represent one of the most effective—and overlooked—tools in network design.🧵

When it comes to cycling, the Dutch succeed because we don't see it as a cost—we see it as an investment. One that delivers returns across healthcare, climate, public space, local economies and quality of life. If we want better cities, we need better business cases: dutchcycling.nl/knowledge/bl...

Five years ago today, ‘Curbing Traffic’ was released into the world. What began as an attempt to make sense of our family’s move from Vancouver to Delft became something bigger: a reflection on how the design of our streets quietly shapes our health, happiness, relationships and sense of belonging.🧵

Talk about bike infrastructure, and someone inevitably assumes the goal is to replace every car trip with a cycle. Nothing could be further from the truth. The goal is choice. Most people don’t want to use the same vehicle for every journey, just as they don’t use the same shoes for every occasion.🧵

The Netherlands has introduced a €49 monthly ticket for unlimited nationwide train travel—a bold political response to soaring energy costs. When prices at the pump rise, you can either double down on car dependency, or give people attractive alternatives. The Dutch are (again) choosing the latter.

A new study from #WomeninCycling Germany shows more women in cycling just makes financial sense! Research found women generate €4.46-billion in revenues with the potential to unlock €950-million with a small amount of meaningful effort. View the summary here: www.velostiftung.de/wp-content/u...

Last weekend, Chris went straight from Bologna to Bucharest for the New Urban Habits Festival. There, he shared some lessons on urban transformation through a talk titled ‘The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality’, and a mobile workshop: ‘Rethinking Bucharest Streets Through Dutch Design Principles.’

Often called the “Paris of the East,” Bucharest is an absolutely stunning city. We spent the weekend exploring it on foot, wandering tirelessly from one neighbourhood to the next and taking in its grand boulevards, beautiful architecture, and lively public spaces.🧵

“Here I wander among the best of human achievement—for it is in cities that our collective creativity and ingenuity is most manifest. From churches to galleries, from bakeries to graffiti, each city carries a fingerprint of aspiration and imagination that can calm, comfort, distract and inspire us.”

After two days of walking the length of Bucharest (and back), we could count the cyclists we’d seen on one hand. Then we turned onto Calea Victoriei—home to one of the city’s only concrete-curb protected bike lanes—and spotted more people cycling in two minutes than we had in the previous 48 hours.

Trams on grass, Bucharest edition.

When in Bucharest this weekend, we made a pilgrimage to see a tree growing in the middle of a bike lane. For bike nerds, this is our Mona Lisa. Our Stonehenge. Our Colosseum. A sacred site. A cautionary tale. A monument to the eternal struggle between infrastructure design and existing conditions.

From rusting rails to green spine, Bucharest's Liniei Park has become a landmark of the Romanian capital’s urban regeneration. What was a neglected barrier between neighbourhoods has stitched them back together with a linear park with space for strolling, cycling, sitting, playing, and socialising.🧵

Dream team! Brilliant to speak alongside new friends Finnish Cyclists Federation, Fietserbond Belgium, Capital Region Denmark, @swhitebread.bsky.social from @cyclinguk.bsky.social and Chris @modacitylife.com @dutchcycling.nl on cycling in the media, language choice, and positive, inclusive stories.

On 25 June, Chris will be joining experts, researchers, and practitioners at TU Delft for ‘Human Mobility Code: Building a New Multimodal Ecosystem’ to discuss how we can create transport systems that give people more choices, not just more traffic. Free to attend: www.eventbrite.de/e/human-mobi...

…and that’s a wrap! It was a pleasure to play our part in a successful Velo-city Conference in Rimini. Our sincere gratitude to the European Cyclists Federation, the local organizers, our public-private network, and everyone who visited the Dutch Cycling Pavilion. #VC26 See you in Ehime in 2027!

On day 3 of Velo-city conference Rimini I reflect on the visibility of gender in the cycling sector. Showcasing Women Changing Cities on this global stage to discuss the role of cycling with leaders from the book was truly special. Read the full post here 👉 modacitycreative.com/2026/06/19/d...

We caught up with Chris Bruntlett of the @dutchcycling.nl after his presentation on the financial case for cycling, part of the session Bikenomics: Understanding the economic impact and financial returns of cycling. Here’s what he had to say @modacitylife.com @velo-city-conference.com #vc26

We’re hearing from half of @modacitylife.com on the economics of cycling. “The Dutch invest what may look like extravagant amounts on cycling not because they are wasteful but because they are thrifty.”

I’m at Women Changing Cities, moderated by half of @modacitylife.com. (Buy their book!)

Day 2 at Velo-city conference Rimini was another memorable day filled with surprises, meaningful conversations, and of course the annual bike parade. Read more in my dispatches here 👉 modacitycreative.com/2026/06/18/d...

The Dutch Cycling Embassy delegation rolled through the open streets of Rimini last night as part of the annual Velo-city Bike Parade. We brought a bright splash of orange to this mobile gathering which celebrates the simple joy of cycling and the collective ambition to build better cities for all.

Day 2 at @velo-city-conference.com Rimini here we go! No better start to the day than a ride along the seafront. Looking forward to another great day!

Dispatches from day 1 at the @velo-city-conference.com Rimini: 💪 Velo-City is the time to recharge our energy 🤝 Citizen engagement and advocacy are powerful tools for change 📢 Good communications are invaluable to success Read the recap 👉 modacitycreative.com/2026/06/17/d...

The #DutchCycling Pavilion is officially open for the 2026 Velo-city Conference in Rimini! With more than 70 experts from 14 public and private organizations, stop by and see the best products, expertise, and innovative solutions from the Netherlands! #VC26

This week, the global cycling community rolls into Rimini for @velo-city-conference.com. After riding through the city today, it’s easy to see why. What was a car-oriented seaside town has been reborn as a cycling city by the 'Bicipolitana'—a metro-style bike network that stretches 200km in length.

“Ciao!” from Rimini, where we’re preparing for our ninth @velo-city-conference.com!

In January 2024, Bologna became the first major Italian city to implement a 30 km/h speed limit. Despite initial pushback, the "Città 30” initiative has delivered measurable improvements in road safety, public health, air/noise quality and travel behaviour—with no measurable impact on travel times.🧵

The Dutch mobility system isn't just built around cycling. It's built around bike-train intermodality: cycling solves the train's convenience problem and the train solves cycling's range problem. Together, they offer an attractive alternative to driving on a mass scale. WATCH: youtu.be/jq93DgLvmFc

On Sunday we are heading to Rimini for another energizing week connecting with our global community at the @velo-city-conference.com and we're not coming empty handed! If you would like to grab a signed copy of one of these books find us around the conference! See you soon #velocitizens!

Last night in Tirana, in the courtyard of the Rogner Hotel with the Flamingo Protesters serenading us from the street, we had the honour of celebrating the Albanian launch of 'Women Changing Cities' alongside two of its featured changemakers—Deputy Mayor Anuela Ristani and Bicycle Mayor Iden Petraj.