Transportation
Amsterdam's Infrastructure Dilemma: Bikes or Boats?
A years-long debate over a bridge pits the city’s vision for the future against the national government’s.
Over the past few years, Amsterdam has been caught in a minor existential debate. It boils down to this: In planning for the future, should the Dutch put more emphasis on the city’s role as a lynchpin in the national economy? Or should the day-to-day lived experience of citizens take top priority?
Given the gravity of the questions, the object that provoked them seems small and unlikely: a single bridge.