Melissa & Chris Bruntlett
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modacitylife.com
Melissa & Chris Bruntlett
@modacitylife.com
Dutch-Canadian authors and urban mobility advocates who strive to communicate the benefits of happier, healthier, more human-scale cities.
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The wait is FINALLY over!

Our new book “Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation” is NOW AVAILABLE worldwide through RIBA Publishing wherever fine books are sold.

From Paris to Bogota, from Manila to Montreal—when women lead, cities thrive: www.modacitylife.com/women-changi...
It’s good to be back in beautiful Palm Beach, having barely escaped the wintery weather in the Netherlands for a @dutchcycling.nl ThinkBike Workshop with the Metropolitan Planning Organization.

We also managed to tack on public events in Miami, Austin, and Elkhart.

Details: modacitylife.com/events
January 12, 2026 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Melissa & Chris Bruntlett
If you liked this book, I'd strongly recommend finding a copy of @modacitylife.com's "Curbing Traffic" as your follow-up read. They're Canadians, living in The Netherlands, consulting with cities on how to become more people-friendly.
www.ubcpress.ca/curbing-traf...
Curbing Traffic
Curbing Traffic - The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives; In Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives, mobility experts Melissa and Chris Bruntlett chronicle their experience li...
www.ubcpress.ca
January 9, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Reposted by Melissa & Chris Bruntlett
Looking forward to reading this from @modacitylife.com! My hubs did great with gift giving this holiday season. 🙌🚌🚋
January 10, 2026 at 1:00 AM
"The book captures a rich blend of urgency, agency and imagination. In positioning imagination as an act of resistance, it provides essential contribution to contemporary urban discourse—and rightfully deserves a place in every urbanism library."

Women Changing Cities in RIAS Review: bit.ly/3NlzOkF
January 9, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Next weekend, we're visiting Austin, Texas for an inspiring afternoon centered on our new book, 'Women Changing Cities'.

This is a special opportunity to hear how women leaders—mayors, planners, advocates, and policymakers—are reshaping cities to be more equitable, sustainable, and people-centered.
January 9, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Melissa & Chris Bruntlett
What’s the equivalent of “get on my level” in Dutch?

The Dutch have two sayings: “there is no bad weather, only the wrong clothes” and “you’re not made of sugar”.
The meaning of both is that a little cold and wet shouldn’t be an obstacle to transportation freedom.

(Photo credit @modacitylife.com)
January 7, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Melissa & Chris Bruntlett
Happy New Year!

After a restful break followed by a beautiful blanketing of snow, the Dutch Cycling Embassy is rolling into 2026 with new energy and enthusiasm for what promises to be a landmark year—including celebrating our 15th anniversary. Watch this space!

Video: @filmendefietser.bsky.social.
January 5, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Melissa & Chris Bruntlett
Next week! Don't miss our live show with @modacitylife.com in Coral Gables, Florida on Thursday, Jan 15 at the Actors Playhouse at the Miracle Theater. We're so excited to team up with Melissa and Chris Bruntlett!

Get tickets:

purchase.actorsplayhouse.org/EventAvailab...
January 6, 2026 at 1:03 AM
Reposted by Melissa & Chris Bruntlett
Just wow! 🤩❄️
January 5, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Reposted by Melissa & Chris Bruntlett
The Utrecht morning rush hour in the snow did not disappoint!
January 5, 2026 at 7:26 AM
There's no such thing as bad weather…
January 4, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Selfie or it didn’t happen!
January 4, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Goedemorgen vanuit een besneeuwd Delft.
January 4, 2026 at 1:34 PM
“By staying authentic to a vision—to not dwell solely on the problems, but shine a light on the potential—the goal remains to help more cities not only survive, but thrive.”

Melissa reflects on an eventful first year as a solo entrepreneur, and anticipates a new year of authenticity: bit.ly/3LljcZE
January 1, 2026 at 1:42 PM
Precisely!
December 28, 2025 at 1:02 PM
These global stories of urban transformation didn’t happen by accident; they’re driven by new styles of leadership willing to push back against the status quo. Learn more in our new book, ‘Women Changing Cities,’ which is available wherever fine books are sold: www.modacitylife.com/women-changi... 🔚
December 28, 2025 at 11:28 AM
🔟 In Sydney, Lord Mayor Clover Moore has focused on design, innovation and sustainability to shape a beautiful and liveable city for the twenty-first century. On her watch, cycling rates have increased by 163%—and the number of women biking by 15%—with over 40,000 residents riding in a typical week.
December 28, 2025 at 11:26 AM
9️⃣ Paris’ hostile streets are finding a new life as Mayor Anne Hidalgo has swiftly transformed it from a city for passing through to a city for passing time. Such bold steps include 1,000 kilometres of cycling routes, 300 school streets, removing 70,000 car parking spaces, and planting 145,000 trees.
December 28, 2025 at 11:24 AM
8️⃣ In Tirana, Deputy Mayor Anuela Ristani has introduced a child-friendly lens to the planning processes of a chaotic city, with unparalleled investments in public playgrounds (one for each month in office), school streets (at a rate of 20 per year), and bike infrastructure (totalling 58 kilometres).
December 28, 2025 at 11:22 AM
7️⃣ Journalist and advocate Keisha Mayuga has sparked a cycling revolution in Manila, leveraging the global pandemic as an opportunity to create one temporary bike lane in her city that eventually led to the establishment of over 1,500 kilometres of permanent infrastructure throughout the Philippines.
December 28, 2025 at 11:20 AM
6️⃣ Under Mayor Valérie Plante, Montréal rolled out the continent’s most ambitious car-free program, pedestrianising nine kilometres along 11 commercial arteries each summer with a $12-million investment, helping 2,100 entrepreneurs thrive, while also delivering 191 kilometres of protected bike lanes.
December 28, 2025 at 11:18 AM
5️⃣ In Kampala, Planner Amanda Ngabirano has shown remarkable determination through a decade-long quest to turn her experience of life on two wheels while completing her Master’s in the Netherlands into a reality with the creation of two non-motorised corridors in the city’s central business district.
December 28, 2025 at 11:17 AM
4️⃣ Under Mobility Minister Elke van den Brandt, Brussels has started a shift from a car-choked city of corridors to a salon city. A new circulation plan and 30 km/h speed limit have cut car traffic by 30%, increased cycling by 36%, reduced crashes by 22%, and halved both traffic fatalities and noise.
December 28, 2025 at 11:11 AM
3️⃣ In New Delhi, entrepreneur Kalpana Viswanath has drastically changed the conversation about public space and transportation by centring women’s perceptions of safety—helping government officials recognise how fear and comfort often determine how people move through the city and access opportunity.
December 28, 2025 at 11:09 AM
2️⃣ In Bogotá, Mayor Claudia López tackled the hidden burden of unpaid care work (the daily unpaid tasks of running a household) by creating neighbourhood “Care Blocks”—community assets that also helped shift travel habits—boosting walking and cycling by 6% and reducing car trips by 15% in four years.
December 28, 2025 at 11:07 AM