Its not stealing, its just copying if it benefits your city my friend.. We Dutch would be honored to see Canada being inspired by our city planning and doing the same so we could see it for ourselves one day.
I really like what you''re doing here, a positive spin on things and a can do attitude. With people like you we can make the places we live better. Keep the content coming!
In case you're worried as to why I didn't mention Around the Bend (my favourite restaurant) in this video: UA-cam has VERY strict rules about how many restaurants can be mentioned in a 12 minute and 52 second video comparing and contrasting regions of Canada with the Netherlands. I know, it's weird... but them's the rules! I'm sorry if this has disappointed you and if this has caused you to lose trust in me and what I'm doing here. Don't worry, it will be mentioned in my next video!
🤣 I know 😭 I just got done at a community thing and had to walk 15 minutes through the snow… no sidewalk… to catch my bus 🚌 Stay tuned for that 6 month car free update! 😂
Speaking of climate, Dutch can ride bicycles well in winter, Finns/Finnish people can cycle well too in winter. As for Canadians.... I hope that one day the infrastructure would be good enough for Canadians to ride in winter
The thing I like most about living in the Netherlands is the integration of different transportation methods; I bike/take a tram to the trainstation in the Hague, park my bike in the protected parking area, walk up the steps and enter the trainstation, take a 15 minute train to Leiden, when I arrive I wait for about 5 minutes for a bus, get out at the university building, at the end of the day I do the same thing in reverse, and if I go out clubbing in Leiden till 3-4AM, I can still just take the train back since they go throughout the night. The travel time here is only about 30 minutes and this is similar if not less time than going by car, I don't have to worry about parking space and since I study at the university I don't have to pay for any of it. This whole process is the same for all cities in the randstad, Rotterdam, the Hague, Leiden, Amsterdam and Utrecht even have nighttrains going between them
At 0:53 This is probably my favorite thing the Dutch do, using trees as decoration (I mean, it looks beautiful), as traffic calming (People tend to drive slower when it feels narrower), as additional safety to the bicycle lane and sidewalk with a raised curb and trees in the way AND it provides shade for those not in vehicles. That's just great design imo, to get 4 benefits from 1 choice. AND, by building it that way, in theory, if ever needed, it can be broadened without having to demolish homes, even if digging up all these trees would be a nightmare task, at least the space for another 2 lanes is theoretically baked in, future proofing the whole thing.
Widening this road will never be needed. The trees will be there long after we departed. And the pedestrian path / cycle path has its own lampposts (other side as well) so you can walk and cycle there comfortably and safe, even during long winter nights.
and those are just the benefits we enjoy on a daily basis. those trees (and the greenery around it) also make the city better at dealing with heavy rain, so less flooding. those trees make the surrounding area a better place for humans. because trees provide oxygen and make the air less polluted. and the trees and surrounding greenery provide places for animals to live, reproduce and feed.
I can’t speak much on calgary, but Edmonton’s city council does give me hope for good urbanism in Canada (and Alberta), they’ve done quite a few good reforms like getting rid of the zoning laws and parking minimums while investing in transit and bike lanes, busing through the downtown you can already see all the new housing being built which is nice, we do still have to dig ourselves of the hole we’ve created but the last couple of years has been a good step forward for Edmonton, I hope other canadian also start investing into good urbanism
Interesting, I just came across your channel yesterday and watched part one of this series. Didn't expect to see my home town of Antwerp featured that soon, if at all! I wonder how you got by train from Weert to Antwerp, I suppose with no less than 2 changes along the way. Fun thing is, there is a direct rail line from Weert to Antwerp but the passenger service only runs to right at the border inside Belgium. The Dutch government is dragging their feet to electrify their tiny bit of the line (only 8.5 kms) so the Belgian trains can reach Weert, while in recent years no less than 50 kms on the Belgian side were upgraded and the electrification poles literally end at the border line. Getting international passenger train projects off the ground in Europe is a comically difficult task, even despite all integration efforts and grants the EU provides. National interests usually take the upper hand in getting funded. As for those coloured signs you saw, these are actually recreational routes. Especially the numbered one is part of a huge ever expanding network where one can plan out their own desired route from numbered point to point. It started in a small part of Belgium, but due to its huge success because of its ease of use and the high level of flexibility for making your personal route, it now spans literally the whole of Belgium, the Netherlands, large chunks of Germany and parts of northern France. Google NodeMapp to see the vastness. Aside from that, as an inhabitant of Antwerp, I can say that I love living there. Outside the city centre, streets aren't really pedestrianised, however low 30 km/h speed limits with lots of raised intersections keep speeds low on residential streets, and decent separate bike infrastructure on major streets and roads makes riding a bike the obvious choice for lots of trips. Though, there's still lot of room for improvement compared to our Dutch neighbours to the north, I find the bike infrastructure already miles ahead of most cities outside of Flanders, with the exception of the Netherlands. Which is what can and should be strived for to achieve, and personally I'm working on projects to reach that goal. Outside the city however, once you get into the surrounding municipalities and the rural regions, things change drastically. Car usage is dominant, and people live in detached houses randomly between villages so you don't even see the countryside anymore, which is hidden behind back yards. It's known as 'lintbebouwing' or ribbon development and really has destroyed our country's open space, but is almost impossible to undo. And while it is true that there are bike lanes on almost every road that needs it, in a lot of roads that aren't rebuilt the past say 20 years, this is mostly paint and because of that they literally are known as 'murder strips'. Things are moving in the right direction however, but Flanders has a lot of work to do there. The rollout of bike highways for example starts to be a real success even for long distance commutes.
The windmills were just the beginning of everything we learned about water management here. Dutch water infrastructure really is incredibly well designed, and I believe a lot of countries can learn from the Dutch on this topic. For example, all the small canals next to the farming fields you see from the plane (the first linked video), also function as a water storage system for when we have intense rainfall. Some areas are used as grasslands for cattle or as nature reserves, but can be flooded in order to store more water too. There are also multiple levels of protection from things like rising sea levels during a storm, like the famous Delta Works, and a very extensive network of professionals ready to act and emergency materials ready to use in case of an emergency, like a "dijk" breaking. Northwestern Europe had to deal with a lot of water problems, especially countries like Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands, in the past few years. If it wasn't problems with drought, it was problems with storms, heavy rainfall, or rising water levels. We've had some major issues in the province of Limburg a year or two ago, and some very high water levels in the past few months, but never were any of the major water defense lines in any trouble. Comparing that to France, Belgium and Germany, who've had their fair share of water problems at the same time too, they've also had a lot more trouble with their water management, and they've had a lot more damage during the same period too...
I want to add that a good railway system is not only about the routes between cities, but just as well the connection to all the villages in between. Those are feeders to the intercity system. For example between Weert and Eindhoven (250k) the stopping service also stops in Geldrop (28k), Heeze (10k) and Maarheeze (5k). That's another 43k people connected, so another Weert. Between Amsterdam and Eindhoven there are only 2 major cities (Utrecht and s-Hertogenbosch, but about 20 other towns and villages that are also connected on the same line. They are individually small but those 20 add up to quite a large population too. Such systems are much more viable than a connection from Edmonton to Fort McMurray with almost no people in between for more than 400 km. Most countries in Europe do not have or would make such a connection. Except perhaps a country like Norway, a very rich country with almost endless government funding. Even Calgary to Lethbridge is already questionable. So my advice would be create a strong Edmonton-Calgary corridor with fast trains and stopping trains for the towns in between, not only Red Deer but also Leduc, Lacombe etc. This corridor is so well situated for trains that it would be a nobrainer in Europe actually!
With an Alberta passenger rail network, I'm sure you'll dive into this in a future video, but the basic idea is that the route will be Medicine Hat to Lethbridge to Calgary. One line takes care of all of SE Alberta! It might be less convenient than Medicine Hat direct to Calgary, but ridership levels would probably warrant the combined route more, and would really benefit anyone in Lethbridge or Med Hat trying to get to either city instead of going indirect through Calgary.
I think that would be a GREAT piece of the network! I don’t think everything should just lead to a centre. We’ve had that problem with our transit systems for a long time, doing hub and spoke, really just trying to get people downtown, rather than around the city.
Just to add for you, since I'm from the region. Your comparison of Weert station with light rail isn't that far off. The Sprinter that goes between Weert and Tilburg functions as one, since it connects these two cities with Eindhoven in the middel and all the towns in between. Travel times I assume, are comparible to about half of a large north American city!
I didn’t get to explore too much, but the choir we were with there, Polyhymnia, were soooo welcoming! They CLAPPED for us as we got off the bus, as if we were welcome royalty! And it was amazing singing in the church there, in the square! Having visited many towns of similar population in Canada and the US, it was an interesting contrast! I’m very jealous 😂
In my area of Calgary, the Greater Forest Lawn Community, the city is in the stages of writing a local area plan for urbanization. The current plan has some mixed use high density around Franklin station. Up to 24 stories if I remember correctly. That station currently has shared bikes. I'm not sure if it's a pilot program or a permanent one. So there are a few more plans for the future.
On the point about a Calgary-Edmonton line: If feel like both cities would benefit from having a regional railway which drives on the same tracks as the intercity trains with the bonus of having a further reach than their light railways. Edmonton in particular has some satelite towns where tracks are conveniently going through them but moreover, both would greatly benefit from a cross city tunnel for general north-south services (including Calgary-Edmonton) and in turn have a major station in the central city.
Fun trip for me to watch. I´ve actually been to Calgary briefly, on our way to visit family on Vancouver Island. Although that was all the way back in 1991, I was a kid, and all I really remember is the tall buildings, the size of my burger, and the jetlag. For a dutch kid anything `American` was impressive in those days, and Calgary didn´t disappoint. I used to work in Weert a lot, in the early 2000s, working as a freelance stage hand in the theatre there, and I still think it´s a nice town. Antwerp was where I went on our first weekend trip together with my first longterm girlfriend, and I still visit regularly, as it´s a beautiful city, and the Belgians now how to do gastronomy in a way us Dutchies just don´t. I lived for four years on the boundary between Delft and The Hague, also that´s where my second girlfriend lived, so I´ve walked a lot along those canals. And finally St. Oedenrode is where my parents met as scout leaders camping out there in the woods, and moved to about ten years ago when they were both retired. I was there just three weeks ago for Christmas. Lovely little town, and you´re right, you won´t find more friendly people anywhere. That´s true for Brabant, the province where it is located, as a whole btw. Very down to earth, open, friendly people. I´m happy you liked it there. Oh and about the tulips from Amsterdam...don´t worry, they were probably more disappointed with the song itself, than with your performance of it. The Netherlands can be divided in many ways, but culturally, the biggest division is the divide between the Randstad in the central west, and the rest of the country. The rest of the country can sometimes feel a little bit ignored and disadvantaged by the big cities in the west, so singing about Amsterdam in that small Brabant town...they're not going to be into it that much. If you're ever going back with that choir, study "Het is een nacht" or "Brabant" by Guus Meeuwis, and they'll be cheering you for encores no matter how badly you butcher the song.
Thank you for sharing! Vancouver Island is a beautiful place, too! You live in a wonderful part of the world! And that’s good advice, thank you! We’ve sung Brabant before! We’ll have to sing that there next time to make up for it 😂
@humane cities the train at 2:17 the train wich departs at Weert is an NS VIRMm (m=modernised and in this NS VIRMm with the number 9406) wich was departing as or either as Intercity in the 800 serie from Alkmaar to Maastricht(or if it's Friday the 2900 serie from Enkhuizen) or as Intercity in the 3900 serie from Enkhuizen to Heerlen or as if it's friday when this shot was recorded in the 2900 serie from Enkhuizen to Heerlen with an part to Maastricht wich splits and combines then at Sittard
7:00 Haha, I have a keychain just like that from Pancakes Amsterdam but with their logo on it. We also have klompen for my child with that exact design on it. 🙂 We mostly use the klompen for Sinterklaas.
The density argument is stupid. There are trains in whole of Europe, and walkable cities everywhere. No matter how dense it is. Its a mindset. If you build for cars, you get more cars. If you built bicycle paths, public transport you give people alternatives. You don't have to take the public transport, or bicycle, but others will. So it is even better for car drivers. Now the only option is a car in north america. So everyone get in a car, with traffic jams and unlikeable cities.
Me Dutch: It is dry more than 92 percent of the time in the Netherlands, but in the remaining 8 percent you can get quite wet. In a whole year there is an average of 853 millimeters of rain. That is more than 2 millimeters per day. Some years are significantly wetter and other years are very dry.
I would LOVE to do a whole video on Anderson. I’ve chatted with city planners, councillors, and advocates about this one specifically. I have MANY thoughts 👀
Is it fair comparing population density country-size-wise? I reckon it speaks more clearly when you compare urban areas and their densities. For instance, wikipedia numbers: 1,592.4/km² - Calgary population density 1,257/km² - Groningen population density Groningen is the sixth largest city in the Netherlands. Does the argument of low-density still stand? Especially in a context of local public transportation and walkability of a place? Regional and intercity transit is another topic considering the size of Canada.
Greetings from Antwerp! BicycleDtch has a great few videos on Antwerp should you be interested. Tldr: getting there, but still a bit behind the Netherlands. We're only now starting to see how Dutch design is better.
Nice how enthousiaster you are about the Netherlands! I lived in Delft for a wile. You didn’t mention a lot of things. You’re short of video. You have been in Weert. A “short” trip to the Canadian cemetery is also an idea. There are the soldiers buried who fought for our freedom. It is impressive to see. Every grave is adopted I will invite you to visit the Netherlands and show you where we are proud of, for example the Deltawerken and our continuous fight against the water. So, you are invited!🇳🇱🍻
I know it’s small but I would love to see parks added to separate train lines from residential areas across North America. I think these parks could also beautify train stations helping people feel more encouraged to use the trains and more comfortable waiting there
Ottawa ia bad at doing anything with their new train stations... but that is more in line with the fact they decided to build many stations along the highway... but did not take any lanes from the highway to build it, so its just a noisy undesirable area
Highways seem to get rail because the right of way is existing and uncomplicated - it’s also farther away from people who’ll oppose. Politically and structurally easy. But then we end up with a poorer service 😢
Nice video. I am a local from the outskirts from Antwerp. The bike infra is not great really, some main routes have been upgraded but the vast majority is still bad. As for public transport, i would say is adaptable, though they just updated the system and a lot of bus stops have been "deleted", not for me Luckly =). Antwerp and Belgium has still a lot to do. They are doing it but rather slow and not really widespread yust "yup make 1 bicycle highway and its done". the rest of the infra gets left.
It was interesting seeing a castle, thinking 'hey, that looks like a familiar castle, but can't be, that's in a village of 5000'. I wonder why Ammerzoden (besides being relatively close to the A2 highway that runs north south) and not a castle like slot Loevestein? I take it you didn't get to ammerzoden by the (mostly) hourly bus. It would've been a great way to show how even in a small village there's some 'urbanism', as just a walk away from the castle and (partly) ruined church, which is actually still in use, there's a small shopping plaza with apartments. When I'm in the village, most of my groceries are still done there by bike rather than driving a car to any nearby village.
1:50 Weird to suddenly see a random shot of your small home town. When did you take that? Edit: Nevermind, I watched the rest of the video. Nice to be able to see it from a Canadian perspective.
@@humanecities Glad to see you enjoyed it. I live in Delft nowadays for my studies and I used to think that Sint-Oedenrode was comparatively terrible in terms of public transport and bike infrastructure. Watching urbanism channels from North America has really given me a new perspective on it. Recently, they've been adding priority lanes for bikes on the round-abuts and replacing the old bike lanes. They are also planning on building a bus terminal for better local public transport in the area.
The only way I can compare this and connect with this to my girlfriend from Antwerp is on similar it is to GO Transit with bike lockers or Bikeshare though more so in Toronto borders. Literally almost similar with them using trams the same as the streetcar in Toronto. But she does enjoys Canada with all the mountains, lakes, coast though hard for us to do transit traveling. Hopefully one day it improves better especially with any Calgary-Banff or Edmonton revival trains and commuter lines.
Its so funny as a Dutch person looking at this types of videos. There is almost always a little bit sayed(+photo) of the bikestorage places and the dubbel instead only on the ground
No way you went to sint oederoden 💀 i work there and i look out over the intersection you probably drove over. Its kinda crazy since i never hear anyone mention this town outside of people living somewhat close to it. Also you pronounced it pretty well.
That road has a speed limit? That looks like a place i used to drag race quads and those signs would be cut down and turned into skid plates not even a day after being put up.
Antwerp is a city in transition, biking there is either a good thing or still pretty bad. The upgraded areas are 80% great and 20% "what where they thinking ?" In the old parts and legacy areas of the city it can be pretty bad, tram rails, cars, and zero room for bicycles can make traversing the city a daunting task in some cases. If you stick to the tourist areas cycling seems fine, but if you live and or work in Antwerp and need to go around the place, cycling can be a real pain, but it's slowly improving.
I live and work in Antwerp, it is a city in transition - but it is getting better, certainty for bikes. The old city center van be a bit off a hassle, but further out the city center the bike lanes are bigger (dutch style) and yes, there are 'red' like in NL. Public transport is the big problem, there isn't enough funding the system. So you have a lot off malfunctions of tram, escalatiors, not enough busdrivers, ... I think on general the Belgian problem is that there isn't a set way off doing something - in the Netherlands they to Roads, Streets, Nike lanes, squares and it doesn't change much from city to city. In Belgium, it can go any way - it's sooooo frustrating. In this city it's that way, here we do this way, ... It's all just looks and feels clumse and expensive, because a lot of time they do it wrong and than they need to fix it.
One thing that's missing in our transit conversations is fixing our agencies Operating costs. Translink in BC experiences 9-12% increases every year. It becomes very hard justify transit expansions when the growth in operating expenses is several factors over revenues growth. Capital expenditures is not the real issue.
@@humanecities Yes indeed, especially post Covid. I don't think anyone has broadly thought about the issue of operating expense - we pay a portion of the operating expense (In BC, it's through a combination of parking and gas tax). Most politicians have mentioned it on the sidelines, like gas tax is going to impact Transit budgets but haven't articulated the issue more clearly. We do need to think more about how to make transit agencies sustainable enough to pay for their operating expenses. We can't have them go into operating costs death spirals. Also read up on your local transit agency budget. The operating costs death spiral is pretty evident. Translink is looking at $500 million in new subsidies (Dailyhive). TTC is looking at around $750 million (G&M).
If you're intrested in de the relation between infratructure and nature you can look up the wildlife bridges we have over some Dutch highways. Liked the video btw
As an Edmonton boy I absolutely LOVE seeing Calgary/Alberta urbanística content! It’s so close to home and really gives me hope! On another note I think it’s interesting to note that while yes Canada as a whole is less dense than most European countries, our cities have similar densities to cities in Europe much better served by transit.
Antwerp is an example of local administration for a decade now dragging their feet on sustainable urbanism (personally I would even say actively fighting against), and trying to maintain (or reinstate) car-centric design. I won't get into the politics of it, but a lot a lot of work still needs to be done in terms of promoting mixed-transportation in Antwerp. Our rail system often has delays or outright cancellations, our tramline network is not performing to optimum potential, bike infrastructure is underdeveloped and being held back in favor of cars penetrating everywhere. Flemish cities still have a long long way to go in comparison to the Dutch cities. The city of Ghent is a better example of a city with a long-term commitment to try combining a humane city with a flourishing economy, but even there ymmv... And let's not talk about the Flemish transport infrastructure in the countryside, which is being scaled back for budgetary reasons... It seems best to instead focus on the Dutch if you want to be inspired, for example Utrecht which was recently found to be the most sustainable in terms of transport and plans for future transport by 'Kennisplatform Verkeer en Vervoer' (a non-profit advising the government on mobility infrastructure). Safe travels and good luck transforming the Great White North!
the low countries as a whole must really be understood within the context of man working with and against nature, the entirity of this region used to be either sea or swamp, (some exceptions offcourse but that was it) flanders litterally referes to wetlands. it is here that the myth of the backwards european darkages is also dispelled, massive communal works were carried out and continues learning and implementing ocurred to make the waterworks of the low countries what they are today., the results of this can be well explained simply when looking at pictures of ww1 no mans land, the sluices were allowed to open and drainage systems were simply crushed under artillery bombardment to leave nothing but a muddy hell that made the russoucranian rasputitse seem like a joke, men drowned as they simply lost the fight with the mud not being able to move after simply falling forward into it. the netherlands and flanders were harsh places turned into comfortable (though rainy and windy) countries. that combined with the many wars made (at least in the case of the flemish) the people very community oriented canadians are likely not quite as interested in that being more of an individualist people
In some sort of twisted way im kind of saddened you didn’t drive around antwerp, including the infamous ring road. Antwerp is probably the best example in Europe (that I know) that shows you how to NOT do Infrastructure, a stark contrast to the train.
Let me blow your mind, before WW2 ended, US, and Canadian was more European based with urban planning. After WW2, you guys changed into the car centric urban planning. Or the US came with it and Canada followed, The Netherlands nearly also fully followed, but quickly realised that this would cause too many problems in the long run. I mean Rotterdam was rebuild car centric. But now they are working on removing the car centric principles of the City. Many cities and buildings were bulldozed in the US to make way for the car, and their overabbundance of carparks.
@@petersteinmeijer519 I caught the name of the city, he didn't specifically mention getting back to the Netherlands (I think), but did mention it was another day.
I was born and raised in Amsterdam and I've literally never heard of the tulips from amsterdam song. Maybe a generation thing? Just googled it and it sounds like something my grandparents might know.
Yeah well, maybe Amsterdam doesn’t learn children or let them experience Dutch culture. Amsterdam is different from the rest of the country, too left, too woke, too inclusive, too left, too international, too hedonistic, you name it. People of Amsterdam like to adapt and accept international culture more than Dutch culture. They rather celebrate Halloween than Sint Maarten or Sinterklaas for example.
Het is inderdaad een generatieidingetje waarschijnlijk. Vrijwel iedereen van mijn generatie kan het lied zo meezingen, denk ik. Het gaat heel snel momenteel, de veranderingen in taalgebruik en kennis van spreekwoorden en liedjes. Verwarrend is ook dat woorden een andere betekenis krijgen of het engelse woord wordt gebruikt.
@@tuinbuddy3385 Wat is jouw generatie? Dan weet ik of ik het aan mn ouders of aan mn grootouders moet vragen. Ik vraag me toch wel af of het momenteel nou sneller gaat dan voorheen, of dat elke generatie dat zegt over de generatie na hen en steeds denkt dat hun situatie uniek is. Hoeveel liedjes die jouw grootouders uit hun hoofd kenden zou jij kunnen meezingen? Cultuur verandert denk ik altijd. Het voelt alleen sneller als je zelf oud bent omdat de tijd in het algemeen dan sneller voelt. Maar misschien is het ook wel echt sneller hoor, ik weet het niet.
@@ryn2844 Of ik je vader of je opa zou kunnen zijn...Beetje confronterend dit ;-) Ik ben 63. Ik heb geen wetenschappelijk onderzoek gedaan of daar iets over gelezen. Maar als ik jongeren hoor praten zit er wel heeeeeeeeeeeeeeel veel engels doorheen. Nu heb ik in de ouderenzorg gewerkt, dat kan twee kanten uitgepakt hebben. Dat ik de hele tekst van "Tulpen uit Amsterdam" ken bijvoorbeeld. Maar van de ouderen begreep ik bijna elk woord. Met enkele uitzonderingen. Ik herinner mij dat ik "kamizooltje" heb opgezocht. Mijn engels is niet slecht, dus jongeren die veel engels gebruiken kan ik wel volgen. Omgekeerd moest ik vaak uitleggen wat ik in de rapportage had geschreven en ik ging er rekening mee houden. Kennis van spreekwoorden en gezegden is magertjes geworden bij jongere generaties, sowieso, denk ik. Je hebt een beroemde zangbundel van oude Nederlandse liederen en nee....niet veel ken ik ervan. Zijn ook erg gedateerd geraakt inderdaad. Je krijgt ook van die grappige gesprekken. Ik weet nog toen Martine Bijl overleed, dat een stagiarie zei: ik dacht dat ze alleen bekend was van "Heel Holland Bakt". Dat ze uberhaupt dat programma kijkt, lijkt me al zeldzaam onder die leeftijd, van iets van 18. Van Martine Bijl naar Herman Emmink, van "Tulpen uit..." is een heel klein stapje, maar dat kan je vader, moeder, opa of oma je waarschijnlijk wel vertellen. Nu moet ik daar ook nog bij zeggen: ik sta bekend om mijn geheugen voor t.v.-programma s uit mijn jeugd, dat heeft toen allemaal een enorme indruk gemaakt, kennelijk. Dus als je ze moet helpen herinnernen: roep "Wie van de drie". Dan komt het geheid goed. Hoef je niet verder te "struggelen" ;-)
Dutch cities are so well organised, they tend to feel boring and soulless to the inhabitants. That's why the entire south of NL comes shopping for antiques in Antwerp every Saturday.
@@humanecities Yeah building codes in NL are extremely strict. Some Dutch towns can feel monotonous and sterile, because of it. Dutch people who have the means and want more freedom will move to north Belgium, round Antwerp like Brasschaat or Wuustwezel. The tax regime is also a big factor of course.
En zielloos , manneke manneke toch , ik ben veel in Belgie geweest , en de meeste gebouwen en huizen daar zijn zielloos en lelijk .@@christiansomers4188
The real question is: SHOULD Canada do Dutch-style urbanism? Apparently, Dutch-style infrastructure is a thing in the world of city planners. And wherever I go in the Netherlands I can testify that it just WORKS. But on an immense dense Dutch scale that is. We're talking one of the most populated countries on Earth. How this all could ever work on a huge North American scale I have a hard time believing.
I understand this wouldn't work in all of Canada, but the density of central Calgary/Ottowa/Montreal/Quebec is probably on par with or larger than Amsterdam, and especially Weerd (a town of 50k as he starts the video with). Take what works and leave what doesn't? If millions of people already use the light rail, why can't there be midrise office block with an underground parking garage and an apartments tower near the stop at least? It's less so than it used to be when the railroads were just being laid, but a lot of people really enjoy living near a transit stop. If the transit stop is there, and it's near a parking lot, is that not just wasteful? We also park cars, but use multistory parking garages and underground parking.
Just WHY do you need to do it nation wide instantly? Just start with cities that have 1M pop, once you got that working you can do the rest. I mean, just try to count the number of cities in The Netherlands with over 1M pop. I'll help you: the are none! So, do this for those cities with 1M pop first, then people will see how great it is and eventually demand the same implementation and rail connections to smaller cities too.
to add to the other comments. you don't need to have a cycle path from one end of the country to the other. just implement it in the cities itself first. and once you've worked out a system that works well for Canada you can start to connect to cities and towns that are in close proximity. and if you can drive an distance you can use rail on that route to. and for the real long distances you could use night/sleeper trains. if you implement all these changes, eventually you'll be able to cycle to your local train station > take the train to the "big" city in your area > board a sleeper train in that city, you board the sleeper train in the late afternoon or evening > have dinner aboard the train and go to sleep after that > the next morning you have some breakfast aboard the train > somewhere in the morning you arrive at your destination, right in the center of the city so you're able to start exploring the city straight out of the train. let's say a sleeper train drives 150km/h that means that in an evening, night and maybe part of the morning. you're able to be 1500 > 2000 km away from you're starting point. or if you want you could still drive or fly the distance, those options would still exist. but if you fly you have the drive to the airport, security (with all it's headaches) and you arrive at an airport in the middle of nowhere so you have to drive into the city you want to visit.
Many comments here assume that Dutch-style infra could work in North America because city centers are similar. But they're not. Most European cities and towns, especially the Dutch ones, are built far more compactly. I live in the dead center of Amsterdam and as such within 500m walking distance of basically every shopping and service need I could ever think of. And that basically goes for the center of every Dutch town and city: you can walk it. In New York, however, this 500m distance would only get me as far as a block or two. At the center of major cities in North America, the walking (but also biking) distances are simply on too different of a scale. Which should put a limit to the Dutch infra principles you can apply. You can construct all the bike lanes you could wish for in New York but if it still takes me more than an hour to get to downtown, then guess what? I'm not taking a bike.
The problem of North american cityplanning is the way you seperate,, working, living and services. Take a city in Canada or the USA,,, with the same area or population as Delft or other similar city in the Netherlands. You keep holding on to your so-called Eucledian cityplanning. especially in your sprawling sunurbs . With only single family homes. no shops, offices,, factories,, train- or bustations nearby and build for cars only. In cities in the Netherlands, our suburbs are like tiny cities as well. with mixed use housing, a small shopping center ,, for our daily shoppings. a doctor,, dentist and pharmacy nearby,. And elementary school and highschool,, sportparks and recreational parks. We don't have to drive, long distances with the car. Because there are public transports,,, bikelanes and pedestrian walks. And cars are limited to 30 km/h. It has nothing to do,, about how big your country is. Or how flat the Netherlands is. Or even the difference in climate. Just compare your cities and start re-developing them. But the most important change is, to set aside your attitude and thinking that you're car-depending only. Give me an example of a city in Canada, with a population of 50.000. Or a suburb in your bigger cities. And I will design a city, Dutch Style
that's the thing with the dutch but it has gone beyond respectable direct to just plain rudeness justified by a notion that it's just their culture. and mostly among 30 and younger, older dutch people speak their minds with or against you no matter what but they wouldn't wilfully insult if no insult was received in the vast majority of cases. meanwhile the flemish are pretty much hyper accomodating, we do the opposite, if a salesman comes to the door we wouldn't say "sorry i don't buy at the door and just close it" we would more likely just allow them to do their pitch, politely decline all after offering them a cup of coffee and a cooky, first
The saying goes god made the world the Dutch made Holland. Not the Netherlands...... I will forgive it because your a American! 🤣🤣 I know where you are from.🤣🤣
@@humanecities maybe the saying stays the same. But officially it's Netherlands, and not Holland. So please use Netherlands, especially outside of South/North-Holland ;)
all canadian cities are horrible places for people outside a car, car culture here is so violent and aggressive it's almost safe to say drivers in canada use their car as weapon to intimate other people. it's a horrible city/street design and no police enforcement on weak law to protect people outside a car (pedestrians and bike commuters)
Norway has the highest tax on cars in Europe at 100%. But other than that, you can't make real changes without disincentivising car use. Roads aren't paid for by road taxes, because they couldn't even come close to the levels required. What happens is that all taxes end up in a huge pile, to be distributed according to need.
Unlike how it is now that all your roads and parking lots are subsidized by people that don't use cars? People without cars pay disproportionately compared to the maintenance cost they accrue. Those citizens got to pay for your mess as it all got worse, why shouldn't car users pay a bit towards people trying to make it better instead? You want to take, and you have, but don't want to give?
even if cars, gas and parking would get twice as expensive as they are now, it stil wouldn't raise enough money to pay for all parking lots, roads and road infrastructure (traffic light etc) so even in the scenario of your nightmares other people who don't even drive have to pay for your car privileges. car drivers (by far) don't pay their fair share of taxes to pay for the infrastructure needed for them, so until they start to pay their fair share they have nothing to bitch about.
There... isn't a 200% tax rate on cars? Whoever told you that is lying. Lots of Dutch people have cars, they just have the choice of using them. Why do you hate freedom (of choice)?
the footprint of the station remained the same. In 1905 there were 10 parallel head-tracks (meaning they end and don't run through the station). With the renovation we got a huge pit in the middle going down 2 levels with only 4 extra tracks in total. The "grandeur" of the track-hall is ruined by the pit and transferring from one track to another is a mess, certainly for tourists. Also don't call our town "dutch-style", our city-planning is almost the entire opposite of what they do above the border.
That's why I love the Netherlands so much, I live in a small village with 16,000 inhabitants. i am a real Dutchman How the Dutch Realized this Insane Megaproject ua-cam.com/video/76sFFiwPJ9E/v-deo.html How the Dutch solved an (almost) Impossible Problem ua-cam.com/video/_LSVNW_bPqs/v-deo.html The Netherlands is Controlling China, And Trying To Takeover The World Economy... ua-cam.com/video/7y9M_Wle2hE/v-deo.html
Its not stealing, its just copying if it benefits your city my friend..
We Dutch would be honored to see Canada being inspired by our city planning and doing the same so we could see it for ourselves one day.
Better well stolen than poorly made, right|? 😂
Equalling copying and cultural influence with stealing is one of these recent and silly American ideas, I think
@Kivikesku 😂 I was being facetious calling it “stealing”. Sometimes we say “steal” when we just mean “take”.
I hope we can really start doing more good planning like the Dutch! Thanks for setting a great example!
@@humanecities OK! I felt facepalmious when I heard it! Anyway, it's a small thing and the video is good, which is what matters.
I really like what you''re doing here, a positive spin on things and a can do attitude. With people like you we can make the places we live better. Keep the content coming!
Thank you 🥲 You made my night! I’ve got some more exciting stuff coming!
Antwerp roads and ring is terrible though its full with traffic jams. the netherlands is much better decorated@@humanecities
In case you're worried as to why I didn't mention Around the Bend (my favourite restaurant) in this video: UA-cam has VERY strict rules about how many restaurants can be mentioned in a 12 minute and 52 second video comparing and contrasting regions of Canada with the Netherlands. I know, it's weird... but them's the rules! I'm sorry if this has disappointed you and if this has caused you to lose trust in me and what I'm doing here. Don't worry, it will be mentioned in my next video!
What? Since when was this a rule?
How does UA-cam know that "Around the Bend" is a restaurant ??
What? You have to be joking, right? 😆 I would have no clue to think that would even be a rule and made that mistake.
maps.app.goo.gl/9Y74iEb7EWCQ1x5cA?g_st=ic
There is a direct train from Weert to Antwerp, it only stops 4 miles from Weert Station 🙄
Transit taking you to places instead of parking lots? Now that's a pie in the sky idea. :P
🤣 I know 😭 I just got done at a community thing and had to walk 15 minutes through the snow… no sidewalk… to catch my bus 🚌 Stay tuned for that 6 month car free update! 😂
Speaking of climate, Dutch can ride bicycles well in winter, Finns/Finnish people can cycle well too in winter.
As for Canadians.... I hope that one day the infrastructure would be good enough for Canadians to ride in winter
I’m optimistic! But we have much to learn from our Finnish friends!
@@humanecities Here a video from Bicycle Dutch with some good feedback :)
ua-cam.com/video/ppRQWxj6VDU/v-deo.html
All you need is to feel safe.
It just was -45 C in Edmonton for a couple of days, windchill -59. Little cold on a bicycle
Stay warm my friend. It seems like the cold weather is getting more extreme because of global warming and climate change @@siccozandt6286
The thing I like most about living in the Netherlands is the integration of different transportation methods; I bike/take a tram to the trainstation in the Hague, park my bike in the protected parking area, walk up the steps and enter the trainstation, take a 15 minute train to Leiden, when I arrive I wait for about 5 minutes for a bus, get out at the university building, at the end of the day I do the same thing in reverse, and if I go out clubbing in Leiden till 3-4AM, I can still just take the train back since they go throughout the night.
The travel time here is only about 30 minutes and this is similar if not less time than going by car, I don't have to worry about parking space and since I study at the university I don't have to pay for any of it.
This whole process is the same for all cities in the randstad, Rotterdam, the Hague, Leiden, Amsterdam and Utrecht even have nighttrains going between them
Regarding the mills - I order flour from a proper mill that grinds the wheat. There's a bunch of them that are active in non-water-pumping activities.
At 0:53 This is probably my favorite thing the Dutch do, using trees as decoration (I mean, it looks beautiful), as traffic calming (People tend to drive slower when it feels narrower), as additional safety to the bicycle lane and sidewalk with a raised curb and trees in the way AND it provides shade for those not in vehicles. That's just great design imo, to get 4 benefits from 1 choice. AND, by building it that way, in theory, if ever needed, it can be broadened without having to demolish homes, even if digging up all these trees would be a nightmare task, at least the space for another 2 lanes is theoretically baked in, future proofing the whole thing.
Widening this road will never be needed. The trees will be there long after we departed.
And the pedestrian path / cycle path has its own lampposts (other side as well) so you can walk and cycle there comfortably and safe, even during long winter nights.
and those are just the benefits we enjoy on a daily basis.
those trees (and the greenery around it) also make the city better at dealing with heavy rain, so less flooding.
those trees make the surrounding area a better place for humans. because trees provide oxygen and make the air less polluted.
and the trees and surrounding greenery provide places for animals to live, reproduce and feed.
I can’t speak much on calgary, but Edmonton’s city council does give me hope for good urbanism in Canada (and Alberta), they’ve done quite a few good reforms like getting rid of the zoning laws and parking minimums while investing in transit and bike lanes, busing through the downtown you can already see all the new housing being built which is nice, we do still have to dig ourselves of the hole we’ve created but the last couple of years has been a good step forward for Edmonton, I hope other canadian also start investing into good urbanism
Man I love your channel; you’ve got a very great way of narrating. It feels very authentic.
Keep it up!
this was a really nice video to watch!
This was a really nice comment to read!
A train from Calgary to Edmonton would be sweet. I know Canadians in general aren't fussed about long car journeys but I need my legs stretched.
Interesting, I just came across your channel yesterday and watched part one of this series. Didn't expect to see my home town of Antwerp featured that soon, if at all!
I wonder how you got by train from Weert to Antwerp, I suppose with no less than 2 changes along the way. Fun thing is, there is a direct rail line from Weert to Antwerp but the passenger service only runs to right at the border inside Belgium. The Dutch government is dragging their feet to electrify their tiny bit of the line (only 8.5 kms) so the Belgian trains can reach Weert, while in recent years no less than 50 kms on the Belgian side were upgraded and the electrification poles literally end at the border line. Getting international passenger train projects off the ground in Europe is a comically difficult task, even despite all integration efforts and grants the EU provides. National interests usually take the upper hand in getting funded.
As for those coloured signs you saw, these are actually recreational routes. Especially the numbered one is part of a huge ever expanding network where one can plan out their own desired route from numbered point to point. It started in a small part of Belgium, but due to its huge success because of its ease of use and the high level of flexibility for making your personal route, it now spans literally the whole of Belgium, the Netherlands, large chunks of Germany and parts of northern France. Google NodeMapp to see the vastness.
Aside from that, as an inhabitant of Antwerp, I can say that I love living there. Outside the city centre, streets aren't really pedestrianised, however low 30 km/h speed limits with lots of raised intersections keep speeds low on residential streets, and decent separate bike infrastructure on major streets and roads makes riding a bike the obvious choice for lots of trips. Though, there's still lot of room for improvement compared to our Dutch neighbours to the north, I find the bike infrastructure already miles ahead of most cities outside of Flanders, with the exception of the Netherlands. Which is what can and should be strived for to achieve, and personally I'm working on projects to reach that goal.
Outside the city however, once you get into the surrounding municipalities and the rural regions, things change drastically. Car usage is dominant, and people live in detached houses randomly between villages so you don't even see the countryside anymore, which is hidden behind back yards. It's known as 'lintbebouwing' or ribbon development and really has destroyed our country's open space, but is almost impossible to undo. And while it is true that there are bike lanes on almost every road that needs it, in a lot of roads that aren't rebuilt the past say 20 years, this is mostly paint and because of that they literally are known as 'murder strips'. Things are moving in the right direction however, but Flanders has a lot of work to do there. The rollout of bike highways for example starts to be a real success even for long distance commutes.
Really cool video man! Greetings from Leeuwarden.
The windmills were just the beginning of everything we learned about water management here. Dutch water infrastructure really is incredibly well designed, and I believe a lot of countries can learn from the Dutch on this topic.
For example, all the small canals next to the farming fields you see from the plane (the first linked video), also function as a water storage system for when we have intense rainfall. Some areas are used as grasslands for cattle or as nature reserves, but can be flooded in order to store more water too. There are also multiple levels of protection from things like rising sea levels during a storm, like the famous Delta Works, and a very extensive network of professionals ready to act and emergency materials ready to use in case of an emergency, like a "dijk" breaking.
Northwestern Europe had to deal with a lot of water problems, especially countries like Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands, in the past few years. If it wasn't problems with drought, it was problems with storms, heavy rainfall, or rising water levels. We've had some major issues in the province of Limburg a year or two ago, and some very high water levels in the past few months, but never were any of the major water defense lines in any trouble. Comparing that to France, Belgium and Germany, who've had their fair share of water problems at the same time too, they've also had a lot more trouble with their water management, and they've had a lot more damage during the same period too...
I want to add that a good railway system is not only about the routes between cities, but just as well the connection to all the villages in between. Those are feeders to the intercity system. For example between Weert and Eindhoven (250k) the stopping service also stops in Geldrop (28k), Heeze (10k) and Maarheeze (5k). That's another 43k people connected, so another Weert. Between Amsterdam and Eindhoven there are only 2 major cities (Utrecht and s-Hertogenbosch, but about 20 other towns and villages that are also connected on the same line. They are individually small but those 20 add up to quite a large population too. Such systems are much more viable than a connection from Edmonton to Fort McMurray with almost no people in between for more than 400 km. Most countries in Europe do not have or would make such a connection. Except perhaps a country like Norway, a very rich country with almost endless government funding. Even Calgary to Lethbridge is already questionable. So my advice would be create a strong Edmonton-Calgary corridor with fast trains and stopping trains for the towns in between, not only Red Deer but also Leduc, Lacombe etc. This corridor is so well situated for trains that it would be a nobrainer in Europe actually!
Again so nice to see weert from an outside perspective. So many things i just see as normal. That station is indeed beautiful
3.02 the sidewalk is specifically made to absorb rainwater for the trees.
With an Alberta passenger rail network, I'm sure you'll dive into this in a future video, but the basic idea is that the route will be Medicine Hat to Lethbridge to Calgary. One line takes care of all of SE Alberta! It might be less convenient than Medicine Hat direct to Calgary, but ridership levels would probably warrant the combined route more, and would really benefit anyone in Lethbridge or Med Hat trying to get to either city instead of going indirect through Calgary.
I think that would be a GREAT piece of the network! I don’t think everything should just lead to a centre. We’ve had that problem with our transit systems for a long time, doing hub and spoke, really just trying to get people downtown, rather than around the city.
Just to add for you, since I'm from the region. Your comparison of Weert station with light rail isn't that far off. The Sprinter that goes between Weert and Tilburg functions as one, since it connects these two cities with Eindhoven in the middel and all the towns in between. Travel times I assume, are comparible to about half of a large north American city!
Wow glad you found the little town sint-oedenrode where i live did not expect that haha what were more of your toughts about it?
I didn’t get to explore too much, but the choir we were with there, Polyhymnia, were soooo welcoming! They CLAPPED for us as we got off the bus, as if we were welcome royalty! And it was amazing singing in the church there, in the square! Having visited many towns of similar population in Canada and the US, it was an interesting contrast! I’m very jealous 😂
We can all learn from each other. Nice video.
Thank you 🙏
In my area of Calgary, the Greater Forest Lawn Community, the city is in the stages of writing a local area plan for urbanization. The current plan has some mixed use high density around Franklin station. Up to 24 stories if I remember correctly. That station currently has shared bikes. I'm not sure if it's a pilot program or a permanent one. So there are a few more plans for the future.
Make sure to tell the city all your positive feelings about it!
Calgary is very much still in a precarious position where every voice counts
On the point about a Calgary-Edmonton line: If feel like both cities would benefit from having a regional railway which drives on the same tracks as the intercity trains with the bonus of having a further reach than their light railways. Edmonton in particular has some satelite towns where tracks are conveniently going through them but moreover, both would greatly benefit from a cross city tunnel for general north-south services (including Calgary-Edmonton) and in turn have a major station in the central city.
Fun trip for me to watch. I´ve actually been to Calgary briefly, on our way to visit family on Vancouver Island. Although that was all the way back in 1991, I was a kid, and all I really remember is the tall buildings, the size of my burger, and the jetlag. For a dutch kid anything `American` was impressive in those days, and Calgary didn´t disappoint.
I used to work in Weert a lot, in the early 2000s, working as a freelance stage hand in the theatre there, and I still think it´s a nice town. Antwerp was where I went on our first weekend trip together with my first longterm girlfriend, and I still visit regularly, as it´s a beautiful city, and the Belgians now how to do gastronomy in a way us Dutchies just don´t. I lived for four years on the boundary between Delft and The Hague, also that´s where my second girlfriend lived, so I´ve walked a lot along those canals.
And finally St. Oedenrode is where my parents met as scout leaders camping out there in the woods, and moved to about ten years ago when they were both retired. I was there just three weeks ago for Christmas. Lovely little town, and you´re right, you won´t find more friendly people anywhere. That´s true for Brabant, the province where it is located, as a whole btw. Very down to earth, open, friendly people. I´m happy you liked it there.
Oh and about the tulips from Amsterdam...don´t worry, they were probably more disappointed with the song itself, than with your performance of it. The Netherlands can be divided in many ways, but culturally, the biggest division is the divide between the Randstad in the central west, and the rest of the country. The rest of the country can sometimes feel a little bit ignored and disadvantaged by the big cities in the west, so singing about Amsterdam in that small Brabant town...they're not going to be into it that much. If you're ever going back with that choir, study "Het is een nacht" or "Brabant" by Guus Meeuwis, and they'll be cheering you for encores no matter how badly you butcher the song.
Thank you for sharing! Vancouver Island is a beautiful place, too! You live in a wonderful part of the world!
And that’s good advice, thank you! We’ve sung Brabant before! We’ll have to sing that there next time to make up for it 😂
Best of luck! Hope your videos reach more ppl.
I lived in Antwerp. It’s so special.
Special in a good way? Or a bad way?
@@humanecities In an extremely good way.
@humane cities the train at 2:17 the train wich departs at Weert is an NS VIRMm (m=modernised and in this NS VIRMm with the number 9406) wich was departing as or either as Intercity in the 800 serie from Alkmaar to Maastricht(or if it's Friday the 2900 serie from Enkhuizen) or as Intercity in the 3900 serie from Enkhuizen to Heerlen or as if it's friday when this shot was recorded in the 2900 serie from Enkhuizen to Heerlen with an part to Maastricht wich splits and combines then at Sittard
❤❤❤ love your involvement. Trying to improve your world.. not just for yourself but also others❤❤❤
Thank you 🙏
7:00 Haha, I have a keychain just like that from Pancakes Amsterdam but with their logo on it. We also have klompen for my child with that exact design on it. 🙂 We mostly use the klompen for Sinterklaas.
Great video and nice to see my city Breda in it 😉
The density argument is stupid. There are trains in whole of Europe, and walkable cities everywhere. No matter how dense it is. Its a mindset. If you build for cars, you get more cars. If you built bicycle paths, public transport you give people alternatives. You don't have to take the public transport, or bicycle, but others will. So it is even better for car drivers. Now the only option is a car in north america. So everyone get in a car, with traffic jams and unlikeable cities.
Make that unliveable cities.
Me Dutch: It is dry more than 92 percent of the time in the Netherlands, but in the remaining 8 percent you can get quite wet. In a whole year there is an average of 853 millimeters of rain. That is more than 2 millimeters per day. Some years are significantly wetter and other years are very dry.
Could you do a dedicated video on Anderson Station? There's been plans for years to make it better, but it's still a large parking lot.
I would LOVE to do a whole video on Anderson. I’ve chatted with city planners, councillors, and advocates about this one specifically. I have MANY thoughts 👀
Do you know the UA-cam channel "Not just bikes" ? He talks about how the Dutch do things compared to the us and canada. Interesting to see
I'm from Antwerp! Super cool to see my city! Please ask away
Is it fair comparing population density country-size-wise? I reckon it speaks more clearly when you compare urban areas and their densities.
For instance, wikipedia numbers:
1,592.4/km² - Calgary population density
1,257/km² - Groningen population density
Groningen is the sixth largest city in the Netherlands. Does the argument of low-density still stand? Especially in a context of local public transportation and walkability of a place?
Regional and intercity transit is another topic considering the size of Canada.
Greetings from Antwerp! BicycleDtch has a great few videos on Antwerp should you be interested. Tldr: getting there, but still a bit behind the Netherlands. We're only now starting to see how Dutch design is better.
Nice how enthousiaster you are about the Netherlands! I lived in Delft for a wile.
You didn’t mention a lot of things. You’re short of video.
You have been in Weert. A “short” trip to the Canadian cemetery is also an idea.
There are the soldiers buried who fought for our freedom. It is impressive to see.
Every grave is adopted
I will invite you to visit the Netherlands and show you where we are proud of, for example the Deltawerken and our continuous fight against the water. So, you are invited!🇳🇱🍻
I know it’s small but I would love to see parks added to separate train lines from residential areas across North America. I think these parks could also beautify train stations helping people feel more encouraged to use the trains and more comfortable waiting there
Ottawa ia bad at doing anything with their new train stations... but that is more in line with the fact they decided to build many stations along the highway... but did not take any lanes from the highway to build it, so its just a noisy undesirable area
Highways seem to get rail because the right of way is existing and uncomplicated - it’s also farther away from people who’ll oppose. Politically and structurally easy. But then we end up with a poorer service 😢
Nice video. I am a local from the outskirts from Antwerp.
The bike infra is not great really, some main routes have been upgraded but the vast majority is still bad. As for public transport, i would say is adaptable, though they just updated the system and a lot of bus stops have been "deleted", not for me Luckly =).
Antwerp and Belgium has still a lot to do. They are doing it but rather slow and not really widespread yust "yup make 1 bicycle highway and its done". the rest of the infra gets left.
It was interesting seeing a castle, thinking 'hey, that looks like a familiar castle, but can't be, that's in a village of 5000'. I wonder why Ammerzoden (besides being relatively close to the A2 highway that runs north south) and not a castle like slot Loevestein? I take it you didn't get to ammerzoden by the (mostly) hourly bus. It would've been a great way to show how even in a small village there's some 'urbanism', as just a walk away from the castle and (partly) ruined church, which is actually still in use, there's a small shopping plaza with apartments. When I'm in the village, most of my groceries are still done there by bike rather than driving a car to any nearby village.
1:50 Weird to suddenly see a random shot of your small home town. When did you take that? Edit: Nevermind, I watched the rest of the video. Nice to be able to see it from a Canadian perspective.
This was May 2023!
@@humanecities Glad to see you enjoyed it. I live in Delft nowadays for my studies and I used to think that Sint-Oedenrode was comparatively terrible in terms of public transport and bike infrastructure. Watching urbanism channels from North America has really given me a new perspective on it. Recently, they've been adding priority lanes for bikes on the round-abuts and replacing the old bike lanes. They are also planning on building a bus terminal for better local public transport in the area.
The only way I can compare this and connect with this to my girlfriend from Antwerp is on similar it is to GO Transit with bike lockers or Bikeshare though more so in Toronto borders. Literally almost similar with them using trams the same as the streetcar in Toronto.
But she does enjoys Canada with all the mountains, lakes, coast though hard for us to do transit traveling. Hopefully one day it improves better especially with any Calgary-Banff or Edmonton revival trains and commuter lines.
We have a LONG way to go in Canada, but I am optimistic!
Its so funny as a Dutch person looking at this types of videos.
There is almost always a little bit sayed(+photo) of the bikestorage places and the dubbel instead only on the ground
While Weert is nice; did you visit Utrecht and/or Amsterdam as well for comparison?
No way you went to sint oederoden 💀 i work there and i look out over the intersection you probably drove over. Its kinda crazy since i never hear anyone mention this town outside of people living somewhat close to it. Also you pronounced it pretty well.
😂 I always love seeing familiar places in UA-cam videos! I’m glad I could do the same for you! And thank you!
That road has a speed limit? That looks like a place i used to drag race quads and those signs would be cut down and turned into skid plates not even a day after being put up.
Croissants aren't bread, they're cake.
They’re delicious breakfast sandwich cake 🥐 🤤
2:50 this looks so trippy
Antwerp is a city in transition, biking there is either a good thing or still pretty bad. The upgraded areas are 80% great and 20% "what where they thinking ?" In the old parts and legacy areas of the city it can be pretty bad, tram rails, cars, and zero room for bicycles can make traversing the city a daunting task in some cases. If you stick to the tourist areas cycling seems fine, but if you live and or work in Antwerp and need to go around the place, cycling can be a real pain, but it's slowly improving.
I live and work in Antwerp, it is a city in transition - but it is getting better, certainty for bikes. The old city center van be a bit off a hassle, but further out the city center the bike lanes are bigger (dutch style) and yes, there are 'red' like in NL. Public transport is the big problem, there isn't enough funding the system. So you have a lot off malfunctions of tram, escalatiors, not enough busdrivers, ... I think on general the Belgian problem is that there isn't a set way off doing something - in the Netherlands they to Roads, Streets, Nike lanes, squares and it doesn't change much from city to city. In Belgium, it can go any way - it's sooooo frustrating. In this city it's that way, here we do this way, ... It's all just looks and feels clumse and expensive, because a lot of time they do it wrong and than they need to fix it.
One thing that's missing in our transit conversations is fixing our agencies Operating costs.
Translink in BC experiences 9-12% increases every year. It becomes very hard justify transit expansions when the growth in operating expenses is several factors over revenues growth. Capital expenditures is not the real issue.
Those are brutal increases! I definitely don’t have any insight into that, but I’d love to learn more, if you have any resources.
@@humanecities Yes indeed, especially post Covid. I don't think anyone has broadly thought about the issue of operating expense - we pay a portion of the operating expense (In BC, it's through a combination of parking and gas tax). Most politicians have mentioned it on the sidelines, like gas tax is going to impact Transit budgets but haven't articulated the issue more clearly. We do need to think more about how to make transit agencies sustainable enough to pay for their operating expenses. We can't have them go into operating costs death spirals.
Also read up on your local transit agency budget. The operating costs death spiral is pretty evident.
Translink is looking at $500 million in new subsidies (Dailyhive). TTC is looking at around $750 million (G&M).
If you're intrested in de the relation between infratructure and nature you can look up the wildlife bridges we have over some Dutch highways.
Liked the video btw
As an Edmonton boy I absolutely LOVE seeing Calgary/Alberta urbanística content! It’s so close to home and really gives me hope!
On another note I think it’s interesting to note that while yes Canada as a whole is less dense than most European countries, our cities have similar densities to cities in Europe much better served by transit.
Antwerp is an example of local administration for a decade now dragging their feet on sustainable urbanism (personally I would even say actively fighting against), and trying to maintain (or reinstate) car-centric design. I won't get into the politics of it, but a lot a lot of work still needs to be done in terms of promoting mixed-transportation in Antwerp. Our rail system often has delays or outright cancellations, our tramline network is not performing to optimum potential, bike infrastructure is underdeveloped and being held back in favor of cars penetrating everywhere. Flemish cities still have a long long way to go in comparison to the Dutch cities. The city of Ghent is a better example of a city with a long-term commitment to try combining a humane city with a flourishing economy, but even there ymmv... And let's not talk about the Flemish transport infrastructure in the countryside, which is being scaled back for budgetary reasons...
It seems best to instead focus on the Dutch if you want to be inspired, for example Utrecht which was recently found to be the most sustainable in terms of transport and plans for future transport by 'Kennisplatform Verkeer en Vervoer' (a non-profit advising the government on mobility infrastructure).
Safe travels and good luck transforming the Great White North!
4:48 Why not first to Lethbridge and then go to Medicine Hat?
Not sure you heard of them but you should watch some “not just bikes” episodes also an urban planning channel 😊
Great channel!!
the low countries as a whole must really be understood within the context of man working with and against nature, the entirity of this region used to be either sea or swamp, (some exceptions offcourse but that was it) flanders litterally referes to wetlands.
it is here that the myth of the backwards european darkages is also dispelled, massive communal works were carried out and continues learning and implementing ocurred to make the waterworks of the low countries what they are today., the results of this can be well explained simply when looking at pictures of ww1 no mans land, the sluices were allowed to open and drainage systems were simply crushed under artillery bombardment to leave nothing but a muddy hell that made the russoucranian rasputitse seem like a joke, men drowned as they simply lost the fight with the mud not being able to move after simply falling forward into it.
the netherlands and flanders were harsh places turned into comfortable (though rainy and windy) countries. that combined with the many wars made (at least in the case of the flemish) the people very community oriented
canadians are likely not quite as interested in that being more of an individualist people
Thanks!
top video thanks
🎉🎉
🎊
I think Antwerp is the most beautiful treinstation in the world
It really was stunning! 🤩
Trains have manny troubles always late and the bikes are dumpt every where greetings from the Netherlands
Check out Not just bikes if you are interested in Dutch infrastructure.
In some sort of twisted way im kind of saddened you didn’t drive around antwerp, including the infamous ring road. Antwerp is probably the best example in Europe (that I know) that shows you how to NOT do Infrastructure, a stark contrast to the train.
That would have been super interesting! I do plan to return (someday), so I’ll have to remember to do that!
Let me blow your mind, before WW2 ended, US, and Canadian was more European based with urban planning. After WW2, you guys changed into the car centric urban planning. Or the US came with it and Canada followed, The Netherlands nearly also fully followed, but quickly realised that this would cause too many problems in the long run. I mean Rotterdam was rebuild car centric. But now they are working on removing the car centric principles of the City. Many cities and buildings were bulldozed in the US to make way for the car, and their overabbundance of carparks.
Singing‘ Tulips from Amsterdam ‘ in Belgium ? I’m surprised your choir wasn’t tarred and feathered.
😂 No no, we went back to the Netherlands for that one!
Since when is St. Oedenrode in Belgium?
@@apveening I didn't pay that much attention. I assumed they were still in Belgium. I didn't hear him say that they were back in the Netherlands.
@@petersteinmeijer519 I caught the name of the city, he didn't specifically mention getting back to the Netherlands (I think), but did mention it was another day.
Croissants are no substitute for bread
I was born and raised in Amsterdam and I've literally never heard of the tulips from amsterdam song. Maybe a generation thing? Just googled it and it sounds like something my grandparents might know.
Yeah well, maybe Amsterdam doesn’t learn children or let them experience Dutch culture. Amsterdam is different from the rest of the country, too left, too woke, too inclusive, too left, too international, too hedonistic, you name it. People of Amsterdam like to adapt and accept international culture more than Dutch culture. They rather celebrate Halloween than Sint Maarten or Sinterklaas for example.
@@RealConstructor Well I'm glad you got to express your opinion. Cheers lol.
Het is inderdaad een generatieidingetje waarschijnlijk. Vrijwel iedereen van mijn generatie kan het lied zo meezingen, denk ik. Het gaat heel snel momenteel, de veranderingen in taalgebruik en kennis van spreekwoorden en liedjes. Verwarrend is ook dat woorden een andere betekenis krijgen of het engelse woord wordt gebruikt.
@@tuinbuddy3385 Wat is jouw generatie? Dan weet ik of ik het aan mn ouders of aan mn grootouders moet vragen.
Ik vraag me toch wel af of het momenteel nou sneller gaat dan voorheen, of dat elke generatie dat zegt over de generatie na hen en steeds denkt dat hun situatie uniek is. Hoeveel liedjes die jouw grootouders uit hun hoofd kenden zou jij kunnen meezingen? Cultuur verandert denk ik altijd. Het voelt alleen sneller als je zelf oud bent omdat de tijd in het algemeen dan sneller voelt. Maar misschien is het ook wel echt sneller hoor, ik weet het niet.
@@ryn2844 Of ik je vader of je opa zou kunnen zijn...Beetje confronterend dit ;-) Ik ben 63. Ik heb geen wetenschappelijk onderzoek gedaan of daar iets over gelezen. Maar als ik jongeren hoor praten zit er wel heeeeeeeeeeeeeeel veel engels doorheen. Nu heb ik in de ouderenzorg gewerkt, dat kan twee kanten uitgepakt hebben. Dat ik de hele tekst van "Tulpen uit Amsterdam" ken bijvoorbeeld. Maar van de ouderen begreep ik bijna elk woord. Met enkele uitzonderingen. Ik herinner mij dat ik "kamizooltje" heb opgezocht. Mijn engels is niet slecht, dus jongeren die veel engels gebruiken kan ik wel volgen. Omgekeerd moest ik vaak uitleggen wat ik in de rapportage had geschreven en ik ging er rekening mee houden. Kennis van spreekwoorden en gezegden is magertjes geworden bij jongere generaties, sowieso, denk ik. Je hebt een beroemde zangbundel van oude Nederlandse liederen en nee....niet veel ken ik ervan. Zijn ook erg gedateerd geraakt inderdaad. Je krijgt ook van die grappige gesprekken. Ik weet nog toen Martine Bijl overleed, dat een stagiarie zei: ik dacht dat ze alleen bekend was van "Heel Holland Bakt". Dat ze uberhaupt dat programma kijkt, lijkt me al zeldzaam onder die leeftijd, van iets van 18. Van Martine Bijl naar Herman Emmink, van "Tulpen uit..." is een heel klein stapje, maar dat kan je vader, moeder, opa of oma je waarschijnlijk wel vertellen. Nu moet ik daar ook nog bij zeggen: ik sta bekend om mijn geheugen voor t.v.-programma s uit mijn jeugd, dat heeft toen allemaal een enorme indruk gemaakt, kennelijk. Dus als je ze moet helpen herinnernen: roep "Wie van de drie". Dan komt het geheid goed. Hoef je niet verder te "struggelen" ;-)
Dutch cities are so well organised, they tend to feel boring and soulless to the inhabitants. That's why the entire south of NL comes shopping for antiques in Antwerp every Saturday.
😂 Is that really a thing? That’s funny! Well, this visitor thought the towns and cities were beautiful!
@@humanecities Yeah building codes in NL are extremely strict. Some Dutch towns can feel monotonous and sterile, because of it. Dutch people who have the means and want more freedom will move to north Belgium, round Antwerp like Brasschaat or Wuustwezel. The tax regime is also a big factor of course.
Nederlandse steden en dorpen saai ???? Je weet niet waar je over praat manneke .
En zielloos , manneke manneke toch , ik ben veel in Belgie geweest , en de meeste gebouwen en huizen daar zijn zielloos en lelijk .@@christiansomers4188
HUH?You dont have those robot mowers???Is it a real Dutch or European invention??
Not that I’ve seen at least 🤷♂️ I’ll have to look into it!
this is completely off topic, but you should have stepped into that cathedral and viewed Rubens crucifixion. Love the video though.
The real question is: SHOULD Canada do Dutch-style urbanism? Apparently, Dutch-style infrastructure is a thing in the world of city planners. And wherever I go in the Netherlands I can testify that it just WORKS. But on an immense dense Dutch scale that is. We're talking one of the most populated countries on Earth. How this all could ever work on a huge North American scale I have a hard time believing.
I understand this wouldn't work in all of Canada, but the density of central Calgary/Ottowa/Montreal/Quebec is probably on par with or larger than Amsterdam, and especially Weerd (a town of 50k as he starts the video with). Take what works and leave what doesn't? If millions of people already use the light rail, why can't there be midrise office block with an underground parking garage and an apartments tower near the stop at least? It's less so than it used to be when the railroads were just being laid, but a lot of people really enjoy living near a transit stop. If the transit stop is there, and it's near a parking lot, is that not just wasteful? We also park cars, but use multistory parking garages and underground parking.
Just WHY do you need to do it nation wide instantly? Just start with cities that have 1M pop, once you got that working you can do the rest. I mean, just try to count the number of cities in The Netherlands with over 1M pop. I'll help you: the are none!
So, do this for those cities with 1M pop first, then people will see how great it is and eventually demand the same implementation and rail connections to smaller cities too.
It also works very well in less densely populated countries in Europe. Just start in the more densely populated parts of Canada.
to add to the other comments.
you don't need to have a cycle path from one end of the country to the other.
just implement it in the cities itself first.
and once you've worked out a system that works well for Canada you can start to connect to cities and towns that are in close proximity.
and if you can drive an distance you can use rail on that route to.
and for the real long distances you could use night/sleeper trains.
if you implement all these changes, eventually you'll be able to cycle to your local train station > take the train to the "big" city in your area > board a sleeper train in that city, you board the sleeper train in the late afternoon or evening > have dinner aboard the train and go to sleep after that > the next morning you have some breakfast aboard the train > somewhere in the morning you arrive at your destination, right in the center of the city so you're able to start exploring the city straight out of the train.
let's say a sleeper train drives 150km/h that means that in an evening, night and maybe part of the morning. you're able to be 1500 > 2000 km away from you're starting point.
or if you want you could still drive or fly the distance, those options would still exist.
but if you fly you have the drive to the airport, security (with all it's headaches) and you arrive at an airport in the middle of nowhere so you have to drive into the city you want to visit.
Many comments here assume that Dutch-style infra could work in North America because city centers are similar. But they're not. Most European cities and towns, especially the Dutch ones, are built far more compactly. I live in the dead center of Amsterdam and as such within 500m walking distance of basically every shopping and service need I could ever think of. And that basically goes for the center of every Dutch town and city: you can walk it. In New York, however, this 500m distance would only get me as far as a block or two. At the center of major cities in North America, the walking (but also biking) distances are simply on too different of a scale. Which should put a limit to the Dutch infra principles you can apply. You can construct all the bike lanes you could wish for in New York but if it still takes me more than an hour to get to downtown, then guess what? I'm not taking a bike.
The problem of North american cityplanning is the way you seperate,, working, living and services. Take a city in Canada or the USA,,, with the same area or population as Delft or other similar city in the Netherlands. You keep holding on to your so-called Eucledian cityplanning. especially in your sprawling sunurbs . With only single family homes. no shops, offices,, factories,, train- or bustations nearby and build for cars only. In cities in the Netherlands, our suburbs are like tiny cities as well. with mixed use housing, a small shopping center ,, for our daily shoppings. a doctor,, dentist and pharmacy nearby,. And elementary school and highschool,, sportparks and recreational parks. We don't have to drive, long distances with the car. Because there are public transports,,, bikelanes and pedestrian walks. And cars are limited to 30 km/h. It has nothing to do,, about how big your country is. Or how flat the Netherlands is. Or even the difference in climate. Just compare your cities and start re-developing them. But the most important change is, to set aside your attitude and thinking that you're car-depending only. Give me an example of a city in Canada, with a population of 50.000. Or a suburb in your bigger cities. And I will design a city, Dutch Style
If you come again the the netherlands, maybe cycle with Jason or just not bikes and ore mark bicycle Dutch.
✌🏾👍🎵
*promosm*
that's the thing with the dutch but it has gone beyond respectable direct to just plain rudeness justified by a notion that it's just their culture. and mostly among 30 and younger, older dutch people speak their minds with or against you no matter what but they wouldn't wilfully insult if no insult was received in the vast majority of cases.
meanwhile the flemish are pretty much hyper accomodating, we do the opposite, if a salesman comes to the door we wouldn't say "sorry i don't buy at the door and just close it"
we would more likely just allow them to do their pitch, politely decline all after offering them a cup of coffee and a cooky, first
A-Velo spotted
The saying goes god made the world the Dutch made Holland. Not the Netherlands...... I will forgive it because your a American! 🤣🤣 I know where you are from.🤣🤣
🤣 I’m Canadian, but I’ll forgive you because you’re Dutch! 😉 🤣 Thanks for the laugh! I’ll get it right next time 😂
@@humanecities maybe the saying stays the same. But officially it's Netherlands, and not Holland. So please use Netherlands, especially outside of South/North-Holland ;)
The city in the Netherlands is called Weert ! not "Weird".... please do an effort ! Beside of that....fantastic video 🙂
Thank you 🙏
Jeetje, doe een beetje rustig!🙄
@@pfffetc6149 euh ja....
all canadian cities are horrible places for people outside a car, car culture here is so violent and aggressive it's almost safe to say drivers in canada use their car as weapon to intimate other people. it's a horrible city/street design and no police enforcement on weak law to protect people outside a car (pedestrians and bike commuters)
Pretty accurate! We have a long battle ahead!
I can help you to grow your channel
Why though? Oh... u want the 200% tax rate on cars. Is that your plan in Canada? That's how u get Dutch style transportation.
Norway has the highest tax on cars in Europe at 100%.
But other than that, you can't make real changes without disincentivising car use. Roads aren't paid for by road taxes, because they couldn't even come close to the levels required.
What happens is that all taxes end up in a huge pile, to be distributed according to need.
People like you will always see problems, never solutions. That is why the U.S. and Canada are in the state that they are in.
Unlike how it is now that all your roads and parking lots are subsidized by people that don't use cars? People without cars pay disproportionately compared to the maintenance cost they accrue. Those citizens got to pay for your mess as it all got worse, why shouldn't car users pay a bit towards people trying to make it better instead? You want to take, and you have, but don't want to give?
even if cars, gas and parking would get twice as expensive as they are now, it stil wouldn't raise enough money to pay for all parking lots, roads and road infrastructure (traffic light etc)
so even in the scenario of your nightmares other people who don't even drive have to pay for your car privileges.
car drivers (by far) don't pay their fair share of taxes to pay for the infrastructure needed for them, so until they start to pay their fair share they have nothing to bitch about.
There... isn't a 200% tax rate on cars? Whoever told you that is lying. Lots of Dutch people have cars, they just have the choice of using them. Why do you hate freedom (of choice)?
the footprint of the station remained the same. In 1905 there were 10 parallel head-tracks (meaning they end and don't run through the station). With the renovation we got a huge pit in the middle going down 2 levels with only 4 extra tracks in total. The "grandeur" of the track-hall is ruined by the pit and transferring from one track to another is a mess, certainly for tourists.
Also don't call our town "dutch-style", our city-planning is almost the entire opposite of what they do above the border.
Nee natuurlijk geeeeen Dutch style , want Belgjes hebben een hekel aan Nederlanders , dat is geweten
That's why I love the Netherlands so much, I live in a small village with 16,000 inhabitants. i am a real Dutchman
How the Dutch Realized this Insane Megaproject
ua-cam.com/video/76sFFiwPJ9E/v-deo.html
How the Dutch solved an (almost) Impossible Problem
ua-cam.com/video/_LSVNW_bPqs/v-deo.html
The Netherlands is Controlling China, And Trying To Takeover The World Economy...
ua-cam.com/video/7y9M_Wle2hE/v-deo.html
CANADA need more Swiss and Nord and First Nation ideas! ⛰ ⛰ lol dutch ????
The Dutch have some great ideas! But heck, we really need ideas from anyone!