Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In

When I posted I was headed to The Netherlands once again to visit (and for my first time to Utrecht,) as usual I got a lot of recommendations on what to look at. One of the first people to contact me was Rebecca Albrecht, who moved there with her husband Paul from Boston about three years ago and couldn't be more delighted to live there.

She mentioned she lived on a Dutch play street (woonerf) and when I looked at the photos she had snapped from the window of her bed & breakfast, my first thought was: maybe this would be an opportunity to get a unique angle from residents since I had ridden on so many similar streets in Amsterdam and in Copenhagen but didn't want to be too nosy.

When I arrived the street was full of neighbors and children and they wanted to talk to me about their lovely street. But this is not something exceptional as over 2 million Dutch people live on play/living streets. So take a gander but be warned: you will want the same thing for your block.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

First Look at the First Draft of Newsom’s Budget for the 2026-2027 Fiscal Year

"Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget—and I’ll tell you what you value," Joe Biden.

January 12, 2026

Monday’s Headlines

Fresnoland Recaps Arguments in Hwy. 99 Case, ICE Protests and Abductions, Rail in LA and the Bay and more...

January 12, 2026

When the Government Says You’re ‘Weaponizing’ Your Car

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers have been brutalizing and killing people who they perceive as threats. Is mass automobility multiplying their pretext to do it?

January 11, 2026

Advocates Move to Save Oakland’s Parking Enforcement

An unscrupulous maneuver to transfer control of parking enforcement could have serious implications for safe streets.

January 9, 2026

The Week in Short Video

Rain gardens, bikes on trains, Uber on the ballot, Changes at CA High-Speed Rail, and reactions to ICE.

January 9, 2026

SGV Connect 145: Phoenix Tso of L.A. Public Press and the Altadena Fires

Struggles are plenty: insurance claims, fire remediation, lost income, lost neighbors and customers, and real estate development.

January 9, 2026
See all posts