The past couple of days have been spent meeting with seriously passionate water engineers and innovative teams from the Technical University at Delft Green Village, Deltares, the City of Amsterdam, the AMS Institute, Waternet and Amsterdam Rainproof.  Everyone was focused and excited about their work to improve blue-green technologies and solutions to manage extreme rain and climate change.  Our brains are over-stuffed after 9 non-stop days...but we offer this thought. 

 Day 9 (April 5) - Bike culture - The quintessential blue-green investment

Dutch and Danish peers and professionals shared over and over again how important integrated teams and planning as well as outreach and collaboration were to advancing work in the changing and uncertain space of water management and climate adaptation.  

During site visits we also saw how blue-green infrastructure can take a wide variety of forms from rain gardens to bioswales, from roof gardens to water parks and from dikes to beer.  We've also seen great (and not so great) examples of how blue-green infrastructure solutions can be designed and contribute (or not) to the public realm. 

All the while, we’ve also witnessed the daily bike commute parade. People on bikes dominate at all times of the day, in all types of business attire (suits, dresses, coats, heels, boots, leopard scarves) and in all types of weather and temperatures.  It's simply the way of getting around here and if you aren't paying attention, you'll get run over.  In the Netherlands, the average person cycles 1000 km/year which is the equivalent of cycling to Paris and back each year.  And, they appear to have the slender frames to prove it.

This morning our team mounted ebikes and headed along the Amstel River to meet with colleagues at Waternet.   It was a welcomed treat to spend a good portion of the day moving around outside as opposed to holding up in an office setting.  However, I will admit that I was less than thrilled at being "e-ssisted" in my exercise.   Come on, it's flat in the Netherlands.  The highest point is 37.7m.  Who needs a ebike?  Actually, I quickly learned that e-technology makes biking accessible to almost everyone regardless of fitness, stature or destination.  It can be an equity tool. 

As we made our way through the city dodging the trolley, mopeds and other cyclists, I realized how in the realm of "blue-green infrastructure" bike investments and elimination of vehicle trips are a quintessential blue-green investment. 

Why?  Here are a few reasons bikes need to be an integrated part of the blue-green portfolio. 

By replacing cars, bikes: 

- reduce carbon emissions (and hopefully lessen extreme storm potential);

- reduce the heavy metals and contaminants contributed to roadways that become the key ingredients of stormwater pollution;

- connect people to the outdoors and nature;

- reduce or make more efficient street sweeping operations;

- free up parking spaces providing more opportunity for blue-green spaces. 

 Bikes and blue green water infrastructure are a fine pairing.  In fact, this may be the finest contribution the Dutch and Danish are making in this field.    I think SPU could become fierce advocates for more and especially safer bike ways in Seattle to build the bike culture.