Truth
People always respond to the environments we create. Infrastructure shapes behaviour. When infrastructure prioritises people, behaviours shift.
"If you design for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you design for people and places, you get people and places." - Walter Kulash
Amsterdam wasn’t born cycling. It was built for it. In the 1970s, it was choked with cars. The city transformed its streets, and people changed how they moved.
Proof
In Bogotá, cycling rates increased by 50% between 2000 and 2015 after the city expanded its network of protected bike lanes, especially along major corridors. This infrastructure shift led to a significant reduction in traffic congestion and improvements in public health. Bogotá’s cycling boom demonstrates that when cities invest in safe, accessible infrastructure, people choose sustainable modes of transport2.
StreetSmart
StreetSmart helps cities identify where demand already exists but is suppressed by poor design, unlocking rapid shifts with small, targeted improvements.
Sources
1Cover image: https://exploring-and-observing-cities.org/2016/01/11/amsterdam-historic-images-depicting-the-transition-from-cars-to-bikes/
2Bogotá’s Mobility Department, ITDP Latin America Reports, El Tiempo
