Post by Ali Tavakoli Kashani

One inspiring week in Amsterdam — often recognized as the cycling capital of the world — participating in one of the most specialized courses on cycling development and sustainable mobility futures: Unravelling the Cycling City: Actionable Steps Towards Better Mobility Futures. 🚲 This experience gave me the opportunity not only to learn in one of the world's most cycling-oriented cities, but also to engage with leading experts and instructors in this field and gain insights from their knowledge and experience. Throughout the course, a wide range of topics were explored in depth, including the history of cycling development, urban design principles, social considerations, public health aspects, and equity issues related to access to cycling opportunities. It was fascinating to see how all of these dimensions interact to shape successful cycling systems and urban mobility futures. Beyond lectures and discussions, one of the most valuable parts of this journey was meeting highly motivated participants from different parts of the world. The exchange of ideas, teamwork activities, and field observations with colleagues from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds made this experience even more meaningful and enriching. What made the experience particularly unique was the city itself serving as a living laboratory. From cycling through historic urban cores to newly developed neighborhoods, suburban areas, intercity routes, and even rural environments, spending hours on bicycles and observing infrastructure in practice provided a truly immersive learning experience and valuable practical insights. As a researcher interested in transportation systems and mobility futures, this experience reinforced an important lesson: successful cycling cities are not built through infrastructure alone; they emerge through long-term vision, integrated policies, social awareness, and cultural change. Many thanks to the organizers and instructors for creating such an insightful and engaging experience; Meredith Glaser Pedro Miele Ana Castan Balmori Marco Te Brömmelstroet Luca Bertolini Nicole den Braver, Prof Tim Verlaan and Barbara Oliveira Soares Urban Cycling Institute I am also pleased to share my course certificate and a few moments from this memorable journey. https://lnkd.in/dZk3cr8W #Cycling #UrbanMobility #SustainableTransport #UrbanPlanning #Amsterdam #CyclingCities #Mobility