Home »

Name: Oluwatimilehin Joshua Awopegba

Date: 10/29/2023

Summary and Analysis of a “Green” City: Leveraging Amsterdam’s Sustainable Models for Environmental Advancement in New York City

 

Introduction:

Amsterdam, Netherlands, leads in sustainable city development with extensive cycling infrastructure, electric public transportation, and renewable energy projects. This report examines Amsterdam’s sustainability initiatives, highlights New York City’s gaps, and suggests replicating these methods to address environmental challenges in New York.

 

Amsterdam’s Sustainability Methods:

  1. Extensive Cycling Infrastructure: Amsterdam’s robust cycling infrastructure signifies its commitment to an eco-friendly transportation network, reducing the city’s carbon footprint and lessening reliance on cars. However, New York City’s cycling infrastructure lacks the comprehensiveness of Amsterdam’s system, leading to safety concerns and obstacles for cycling as a primary mode of transport. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) Community Health Survey underscores the significant cycling culture in the city, with approximately 30% of adult New Yorkers, around 1.9 million individuals, regularly using bicycles. The city records over 550,000 cycling trips each day, indicating the potential for cycling’s promotion, given the need for improved safety and infrastructure.

 

Cycling’s Popularity in Amsterdam and New York City:

Cycling is a popular means of travel in Amsterdam, accounting for nearly 40% of all journeys in the city. Amsterdam offers 9,619 cycling routes, while New York City presents approximately 3,527 cycling paths. Amsterdam’s well-segregated cycling paths, different from New York City’s less extensive lanes, ensure safety and contribute to increased cycling use. (GmbH, n.d.).

Recommendation: To mirror Amsterdam’s success in cycling infrastructure and further reduce the city’s carbon footprint, New York City could consider investing more significantly in dedicated cycling lanes and a safer and more interconnected biking infrastructure. By improving safety measures, implementing more dedicated bike lanes, and perhaps introducing policies that encourage cycling, New York City could successfully promote the use of bikes as a sustainable mode of transportation and reduce the reliance on traditional cars. This shift would positively impact the city’s environment by curbing emissions and fostering a healthier and greener urban landscape.

Figure 1: Amsterdam is progressive and green in more ways than its famous “coffee shops.” It’s notorious for being the city where there are more bikes than people (bikes are literally piled over each other in the streets!) and holds the title of the most bicycle-friendly capital city in the world. Not only does biking ensure a healthier population, but it reduces carbon emissions and pollution significantly.

 

  1. Electric Public Transportation: Amsterdam’s transition to electric buses and trams significantly curbs emissions. The gradual replacement of conventional vehicles with electric ones aligns with reducing greenhouse gases. These electric vehicles produce zero emissions at the point of use, contributing to improved air quality.

 

Statistical Insights on Amsterdam’s Electric Public Transport:

– The City of Amsterdam announced in 2018 its aim to have emission-free public transport by 2025, with plans to have 100% electric buses by that time.

– By 2019, Amsterdam’s municipal transport company, GVB, had introduced around 40 electric buses, and the goal was to scale up to 75 electric buses by 2021.

– The GVB was also investing in electric trams, working to phase out older diesel-powered models.

 

New York City’s Transition to Electric Public Transport:

– As of 2021, New York City has introduced and tested several electric buses. However, the total number of electric buses in the city’s fleet was around 10 to 15, a small fraction of the entire bus fleet.

– Initiatives have been put forward by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to phase out diesel buses in favor of electric buses, aiming to transition to an all-electric bus fleet by 2040.

– Challenges to the full implementation of electric buses in NYC include the high costs of electric buses, necessary infrastructure development for charging stations, and the scale of New York City’s transportation network.

New York City grapples with high emissions due to heavy traffic and vehicle dependence. The city is integrating electric buses but faces challenges due to its size and scale compared to Amsterdam.

 

Conclusion:

Embracing sustainable models from Amsterdam, particularly in cycling infrastructure and electric public transportation, presents a promising pathway for New York City’s environmental advancement. Adapting Amsterdam’s cycling infrastructure approach by expanding and enhancing dedicated cycling lanes would substantially transform New York’s commuting culture, curbing emissions and promoting eco-friendly urban mobility. Though New York City has begun incorporating electric buses, the city must address infrastructure challenges and scale up these initiatives to effectively achieve a significant environmental impact. New York’s strides toward sustainability, while promising, require a more concerted effort to effectively replicate Amsterdam’s successful models.

 

Justification and Disputation:

Cost and Feasibility: While initial setup costs might seem significant, the long-term benefits outweigh the initial expenses. Transitioning to a greener public transport fleet is feasible and economically viable, leading to substantial long-term savings in fuel costs and maintenance.

 

References.

NYC DOT – Bicyclists – Cycling in the city. (n.d.-b).

Things to do in Amsterdam. (2020, October 23). Cycling in Amsterdam – thingstodoinamsterdam.com. ThingstodoinAmsterdam.com. https://thingstodoinamsterdam.com/transport/cycling-in-amsterdam/

GmbH, B. (n.d.). Cycling routes in New York. Bikemap.

https://www.bikemap.net/en/l/5128581/

User. (2017, October 22). The 10 Of The Most Eco-Friendly Cities – THE ENVIRONMENTOR. THE ENVIRONMENTOR. https://blog.tentree.com/the-10-most-eco-friendly-cities/

 

 

Reflection

As I have explored the comprehensive strategies adopted by Amsterdam for sustainability, juxtaposed against New York City’s current environmental landscape, it becomes evident that the challenges of implementing sustainable practices in a large, urban setting are multi-faceted and require a nuanced understanding of infrastructure, cultural shifts, and policy changes. In exploring the divergent sustainability methods, several insights relate to the concepts and learning outcomes of urban environmental management, policy development, and societal behavior within a city context.

The examination of Amsterdam’s cycling infrastructure emphasizes the critical role of dedicated, interconnected lanes exclusively designed for bicycles. This discussion resonates with the understanding of urban environmental management, particularly in designing cityscapes that actively support and promote sustainable modes of transportation. The availability of over 9,600 cycle routes in Amsterdam, in contrast to New York City’s 3,500 routes, indicates that infrastructure design and city planning play a pivotal role in influencing citizens’ transportation choices. It demonstrates that the development of infrastructure is crucial in encouraging environmentally friendly modes of transport, affecting urban mobility and overall carbon footprint.

The utilization of electric public transport in Amsterdam underscores the significance of policy and technological innovation in fostering environmentally friendly practices within a city. The gradual transition to electric buses and trams not only curbs emissions but also exemplifies the complexity and challenges associated with implementing change at a large scale. This discussion echoes the learning outcome of understanding policy development in urban environmental management. The strategies involved in the adoption of electric transportation, with goals set for emission-free public transport by 2025, indicate the importance of robust and goal-oriented policies in addressing climate-related issues.

Moreover, the reflection on New York City’s lag in implementing the same strategies despite beginning to integrate electric buses highlights the complexities and challenges of urban environmental management in different cities. The context of New York’s challenges with the scale and size of its transportation system emphasizes the necessity for scalable, adaptable, and context-specific policy measures. This scenario resonates with the need for understanding the contextual relevance of different policies and strategies within urban areas, as stipulated in the course learning outcomes.

The evident popularity and acceptance of cycling in both cities reflect the significance of societal behavior in determining the success of any environmental policy or initiative. The statistics highlighting the number of individuals regularly using bicycles underscore the role of societal norms and behaviors in shaping urban environmental practices. This underscores the need to consider social and cultural aspects while formulating urban environmental policies and strategies.

In conclusion, the analysis of New York City’s existing environmental landscape provides multifaceted insights into the complexities and challenges of urban environmental management. It emphasizes the importance of comprehensive infrastructure, policy development, and societal behavior in shaping the environmental sustainability of cities.