Copenhagen Through North American Eyes

This is a recent Streetfilms video about cycling in Copenhagen through North American eyes. It was filmed during the 2010 Velo City global bike conference that just finished in Copenhagen. (Oh how I wish I could have been there! I just got back some beautiful black and white photos that I took in Copenhagen last fall/winter and am feeling a tad nostalgic.)

Much of what you see in this video is the result of technical solutions to problems around making cities (and Copenhagen in particular) more livable and bike friendly.  As you will see in the video, it was a process that has taken shape over 40 years and much to the credit of Jan Gehl.  I say "technical" because of an interesting conversation I had with a friend a few weeks ago about urban planning and the issue of technical solutions to fundamentally political problems.  More on that another time.

Enjoy the video. The soothing, meditative music is a nice touch!