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Thomas van Laake

@tvlaake.bsky.social
312 followers 246 following 16 posts

Cities, infrastructure, cycling CDMX/Manchester/Toronto Doctoral researcher at the University of Manchester

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Reposted by Thomas van Laake
Jason Hickel @jasonhickel.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
The US bombing of schoolchildren in Iran is the biggest single US massacre of civilians since My Lai. The Israeli bombing of Tehran’s oil storage constitutes the biggest single act of chemical warfare against a civilian population in history. Grotesque new depths of barbarism.
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Planning Theory & Practice @planningtheory.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
🚨New article by @tvlaake.bsky.social "Situating Equitable Infrastructure: Differentiated Cycling Planning in Mexico City and Toronto" dissects what is meant by 'equitable infrastructure,' esp wrt underserved populations and the places they inhabit. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
Situating Equitable Infrastructure: Differentiated Cycling Planning in Mexico City and Toronto
The equitable distribution of infrastructure is a central concern of planning theory and practice. Developing an inter-urban comparison of bicycle equity policies in Mexico City and Toronto, the pa...
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Thomas van Laake @tvlaake.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Very pleased to see the first article from my PhD thesis published in Planning Theory and Practice. In the piece, I leverage the concurrent adoption of bicycle equity policies in Mexico City and Toronto to compare how intra-urban differences shape efforts to address infrastructural inequalities.
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Thomas van Laake @tvlaake.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
'World Capital of the Bicycle'? Or just another cycling city among many? I'm excited to share a new project I've been working on: the long-awaited inclusion of Bogotá in the Cycling Cities book series. You can read about the project here: cyclingcities.info/cities/bogot...
cyclingcities.info
Cycling Cities: Bogotá, Colombia - Cycling Cities
In 2018, Enrique Peñalosa, then mayor of Bogotá, declared the city the ‘World Capital of the Bicycle’. This rather self-congratulatory announcement raised several questions. Many asked whether the hon...
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Thomas van Laake @tvlaake.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Capping off 4 years of work in 2 hours is always a challenge, but I thoroughly enjoyed discussing my thesis with Paola Jirón and @natemillington.bsky.social today. Many thanks to all those who made this research project possible - supervisors, interlocutors, and interviewees!
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John Michael McGrath @jm-mcgrath.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
NEW: Looks like CycleToronto won in court. Justice Schabas finds Ontario's law (AND version 2) to remove bike lanes infringe S7 of the Charter and is not saved by S1, in large part because the govt had no evidence to back up its claims.
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
From @alexsammon.bsky.social an acerbic takedown of the Hummer EV, Detroit's stupidest electric vehicle. Me, on the Hummer EV's superfluous acceleration: “Why an SUV needs to get zero to 60 under three seconds is a question with no answer."
slate.com
It’s the Car That Explains Everything About America Right Now. Elon Musk Only Wishes He Made It.
In Florida, on the country’s most dangerous roads, I had a 9,500-pound revelation.
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Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
Critical Mass
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Gabriel Zucman @gabrielzucman.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
A long long time ago, in a far away galaxy... the US used to tax the rich
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Prof. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
Leeds and Lancaster have several funded PhD places going in mobility, car ownership, etc. Great opportunities in-fuze.org.uk/research-at-...
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Thomas van Laake @tvlaake.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Voor het eerst in het Nederlands geschreven over fietsen, en over Bogotá. Met @henk-jandekker.bsky.social nagedacht over wat de Ciclovía van Bogotá Nederland kan leren over fietsbeleid: www.trouw.nl/opinie/opini...
trouw.nl
Opinie: Laat het radicale fietsactivisme terugkeren
De Colombiaanse hoofdstad Bogotá stelt al vijftig jaar elke zondag 120 kilometer aan wegen open voor de fiets. Een voorbeeld voor Nederland, betogen Henk-Jan Dekker en Thomas van Laake.
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Henk-Jan Dekker @henk-jandekker.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Vandaag in Trouw een reflectie van @tvlaake.bsky.social en mij over wat Nederland als fietsland kan leren van Ciclovía in Colombia: www.trouw.nl/opinie/opini...
trouw.nl
Opinie: Laat het radicale fietsactivisme terugkeren
De Colombiaanse hoofdstad Bogotá stelt al vijftig jaar elke zondag 120 kilometer aan wegen open voor de fiets. Een voorbeeld voor Nederland, betogen Henk-Jan Dekker en Thomas van Laake.
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Thomas van Laake @tvlaake.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
A brief and intriguing history of the Netherlands' first urban cycling path, designed 50 years ago!
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Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com · 14/01/2025
50 years ago, Tilburg initiated the Netherlands' first high-quality demonstration cycle route. The 10 kilometre project proved to be a pivotal moment in Dutch street design, introducing many engineering elements used today—including the now-ubiquitous red asphalt. www.karenromme.nl/the-story-of...
Three people in casual spring attire ride bicycles along a red asphalt cycling street lined with residential buildings in Tilburg, The Netherlands.
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Thomas van Laake @tvlaake.bsky.social · 26/12/2024
Earlier this month, Bogotá's Ciclovía marked it's 50th anniversary. In this @urbancyclinginstitute.org blog, @henk-jandekker.bsky.social and I reflect on what Bogotá tells us about cycling histories and futures: urbancyclinginstitute.org/ciclovia-at-...
urbancyclinginstitute.org
Ciclovía at 50: Thinking cycling histories from Bogotá - Urban Cycling Institute
Written by guest authors:Thomas van Laake, doctoral researcher at the University of ManchesterHenk-Jan Dekker, post-doctoral researcher at CIRED The early 1970’s marked a critical juncture in the hist...
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Thomas van Laake @tvlaake.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
Out now in @rtpiplanners.bsky.social North West review: an article with my reflections on cycling policy in Greater Manchester. I position the city region as a 'model' of pro-cycling reforms across heterogeneous urban agglomerations. Find the article here: www.rtpi.org.uk/find-your-rt...
rtpi.org.uk
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Thomas van Laake @tvlaake.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
Cycling infrastructures and their (informal) uses in the southwestern peripheries of Bogotá
Road crossing busy with cyclists and pedestrians with public works in the backgroundCyclists on a wide bike path between apartment blocksMotorcycles closely passing mother and son on cycling bridgeDozens of bikes parked along a field
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Reposted by Thomas van Laake
Chris N. Morfas @thehappygringo.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
A note of appreciation regarding the Bogotá Ciclovía, this year celebrating its 50th birthday! thebogotapost.com/celebrating-...
thebogotapost.com
Celebrating the Ciclovía: Bogotá’s Weekly Miracle Turns 50
Bogotá's Ciclovía is about to celebrate its 50th birthday. Find out
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Martyn Schmoll @martyn.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Beautiful sight. Toronto residents protesting Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s recently-passed Bill 212 that aims to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to rip out bike lanes across the city and the province. Time to fight back. #ONpoli #TOpoli #BikeTO
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Cristina Temenos @ctemenos.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
Manchester is ~10 years behind Vancouver. I lived it there and it feels like dejavú here. MCR hasn’t gotten over it’s 2nd city syndrome and has embraced the ‘any development is good development ethos.’ There’s still a chance to actually do things differently 1/2
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Thomas van Laake @tvlaake.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
On cycling, Greater Manchester hasn't been held back by a lack of ambition. In a second blog about last month's conference on cycling policy organised by @walkridegm.org.uk, Dr. Graeme Sherriff and I reflect on challenges of turning plans into reality: blogs.manchester.ac.uk/mui/2024/11/...
blogs.manchester.ac.uk
Cycling policy and practice in Greater Manchester: Between ambitious plans and the realities of delivery
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Thomas van Laake @tvlaake.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
Bus stop in Valveralla, Catalonia
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Thomas van Laake @tvlaake.bsky.social · 08/11/2024
Last month, @walkridegm.org.uk co-organized a conference on cycling policy in Greater Manchester with local researchers. In this blog, we recap the day's discussions and lessons learned: www.walkridegm.org.uk/2024/11/08/r...
walkridegm.org.uk
Recapping our mini conference
A guest blog by Thomas van Laake, Graeme Sherriff and Harry Gray. We asked them to share their reflections on our recent conference, which focussed on cycling advocacy and policymaking in Greater M…
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