Jason Slaughter highlights how North American streets are designed as deadly spaces for people walking, rolling, and biking. Slaughter compares those streets to ones in The Netherlands, which have been dramatically improved over recent decades — so much so that Slaughter has little fear in letting his children walk freely in his community. Slaughter also suggests that the strategies The Netherlands uses for street design could save enormous numbers of lives every year in the United States if employed here and make the experience so much more enjoyable.

Article Author

Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.