Urban interventions galore From Mondrian?s colorful, pared-down compositions to a bike- and weed-friendly culture, there?s a lot the Netherlands is known for. And recently, these cultural footings ?as well as universal headaches like potholes and road safety?have inspired a number of innovative urban interventions around the country. We?ve gathered a handful below for inspiration?and pure amusement.

1. A bike traffic system that helps cyclists get all green lights

A new bike traffic light system from Dutch company Springlab wants to make every urban cyclist?s dream come true. Flo uses sensors to detect riders? speeds about 120 meters (or 400 feet) before a street traffic light and then displays symbols indicating whether they need to speed up (a hare), maintain the pace (a thumbs up), or slow down (a turtle) to make the next light. One Flo kiosk has been deployed in Utrecht, and there are plans to roll out a couple of more in the coming months. 2. Emoji as architectural ornament

Photos via Attika Architekten

Goodbye gargoyles, hello smileys" Over in the Dutch city of Amersfoort, a brick mixed-use building now sports 22 emojis cast in white concrete on its facade. Love it or hate it, this is one architectural trick that perfectly encapsulates the current era.
3. ?Self-healing? roads that fix their own potholes

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Modern cities are plagued by potholes. One Dutch materials scientist, Erik Schlangen at Delf...