Rest, write, reflect (Day 27 Netherlands)

On our last fully free day in Amsterdam, I took time to rest and reflect. I slept in, had lunch at a pub, watched people go by on foot, by bike, and on the tram, and took a long walk along the curve of a canal. I'd been travelling for nearly a month, experiencing what life could be like with different infrastructure choices. The Dutch (and the Danish) put their money where their mouth is when it comes to the physical and social infrastructure needed to support what they say they value. Healthy happy people need social service safety nets, reasonable work hours, childcare, public spaces to play at all ages, education, time with family and friends, healthcare, and the land use and transportation infrastructure to enable all of it without being dependent on cars. In my month abroad, I experienced a level of autonomy, safety, and convenience I'd never known before.

Autonomy

The infrastructure supported whatever I needed and wanted to do in a day. I could get anywhere I needed to go with ease--the grocery store, laundry mat, library, parks, school, airport--by walking, biking, or taking transit any day of the week, any time of day.

Safety

I felt *safe* walking, biking,and taking transit. I wasn't worried about being hit by car drivers as I simply biked about for my assignments and site seeing. I wasn't worried about being attacked by men at night. I wasn't worried about cops harassing me for laying down in the park. I've never felt so safe in public.

Convenience 

It's not easy to convey how easy it was to get around without relying on cars. I've not experienced anything like it. It's not like I've only spent time in US towns and lollipop suburbs before this trip either. There's a few neighborhoods in the US with that level of convenience--but they're FEW and far between. 

For example, I'd been invited by the owner of the dragshow bar, Lellebel, to see a show. So, I biked the mile and a half over around 10 PM, popped in for a cold beverage and saw the show (which was packed), wandered around the canal district to enjoy the cool night, and biked back to my hostel. I could've walked or taken a tram. But biking was quick, safe, and easy. I felt safe walking around though I was alone at night in a cosmopolitan city that'd I'd been in for less than a week. That same sense of autonomy, safety, and convenience pervaded Copenhagen and Utrecht. 

We could have that level of autonomy, safety, and convenience in the US. It doesn't have to take 30 years to get there. Heck, even if it takes 30 years, that's better than 40 years. We could have autonomy, safety, and convenience if we choose to put the policies in place and budgets to back them up. It's not some super special secret magic of Denmark and the Netherlands. It's policy. Public pressure to build the political will could make the physical infrastructure happen in 10-15 years. We can have that level of prosperity. We just have to choose it for ourselves and each other.

Next up: The Danish and the Dutch do it different

Random pic of the day: Ducks