Amsterdam’s ‘cycling professor’ on building our urban mobility

It’s recognised as the bicycle capital of the world, but Amsterdam has not always enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with cycling.

During the economic boom of the 1950s and ’60s, cars became more affordable and neighbourhoods were flattened to accommodate a motorised vision of the city.

But more roads led to more deaths. And when traffic casualties peaked in 1971, protesters demanded safer streets.