As I flip through the photos on my phone, I can’t help but appreciate the time I spent in the Netherlands. It remains one of my favourite places. The human-centric life in Amsterdam reminded me a lot of Fukuoka, a city I deeply enjoyed for similar reasons. Beyond prioritising people over cars, Amsterdam also succeeds in weaving greenery throughout the city, earning its place among the top 10 eco-cities in Europe in 2025, according to Essential Living.
Green Network
Amsterdam’s green spaces – parks and gardens, natural areas, playgrounds, waterways, and forests – are thoughtfully distributed across the city. What truly brings them together is the city’s well-established cycling and walking infrastructure, which makes these spaces easily accessible and seamlessly connected.
These connectors – cycleways and walkways – are often shaded by tree-lined streets that provide thermal comfort throughout the journey. Along many of these routes, canal edges act as ecological corridors, supporting biodiversity and functioning as informal wildlife highways. At a more local scale, small pockets of green space are embedded within neighbourhoods, where children of all ages gather, play, and interact as part of everyday life.
Cycling as an environmental system
Amsterdam is one of the world’s most bicycle-friendly cities, supported by an extensive network of cycle routes that spans the entire city and significantly reduces car dependency. Cycling is widely preferred because it is safer, healthier, and often more efficient, and it has become an integral part of daily life for residents rather than a recreational activity. Importantly, cycling in Amsterdam is not treated as a destination in itself, but as a connective system—woven through green spaces and linking parks, waterways, and urban landscapes into a continuous, accessible network.
Water as infrastructure, not decoration
Along these connectors—cycleways and walkways—the canal edges function as ecological corridors and “wildlife highways,” enhancing air and water quality, supporting flood management, and moderating urban temperatures. These blue-green networks benefit biodiversity while simultaneously activating social life around water. And beyond their performance, they are undeniably beautiful—where ecology, mobility, and public life intersect.
Human scale + density
Amsterdam’s sustainability is rooted in its human-scale density rather than high-rise intensity. The city is characterized by mid-rise buildings and compact neighborhoods that keep daily destinations—work, schools, shops, and public spaces—within short, walkable distances. This fine-grained urban form supports mixed-use living, where housing, commerce, and social life coexist seamlessly, reducing the need for long commutes and car dependency. By prioritizing proximity, walkability, and everyday convenience, Amsterdam demonstrates how thoughtful density enables sustainable lifestyles to function naturally.
Countryside relationship
The Netherlands is known for its picturesque windmills, dikes, and charming villages, where visiting the countryside often feels like stepping back in time. From Amsterdam, there is easy access to many rural destinations such as Zaanse Schans, Haarlem, Volendam, Giethoorn, and Assen.
Within these towns, cycling is a natural part of everyday life, just as it is in the city. Architecture and nature are so closely integrated that it feels as though you are living within a carefully composed image. Rather than competing, the town and the landscape coexist in balance. Amsterdam itself is not isolated, but part of a wider regional ecosystem that seamlessly connects urban life with the countryside.
Everyday sustainability
In Amsterdam, sustainability feels normal rather than imposed. The city’s mixed-use fabric, integrated water infrastructure, and continuous green spaces naturally encourage people to walk, cycle, and socialize as part of everyday life. This constant presence of people in public space keeps neighborhoods active and inviting, reinforcing a culture of outdoor living. Such everyday sustainability is crucial for the future—not only supporting individual health, but strengthening the city’s resilience through climate adaptation, while holding governance accountable to maintaining systems that genuinely serve their residents.
*All photos are captured and edited by the author.
