Dutch Design

I spent a week in and around Amsterdam, Holland, getting my fill of one of the great cities of the world. Two things stood out as lessons for the United States. First, that city has made biking an integral part of its infrastructure, with streets layered with different paving for pedestrians, bikes, cars, and trams. While sometimes seemingly chaotic, those multi-modal streets are where the rest of the world is heading. Second, that city has some of the most sophisticated multi-family housing in the world, with mostly well-designed, multi-story buildings allowing for a wide variety of sizes and types of apartments, stores, and offices behind simple, well-detailed exteriors. The best of Dutch housing will be the subject of an exhibition next academic year in Rapson Hall. Tom Fisher