Looking back, growing up in/near Delft was probably one of the best experiences in my life. Being able to get anywhere in our smallish (100k population) city within 10 minutes (and usually less) by bicycle had some great advantages when I was in my teens. Without the infrastructure, I arguably wouldn't have had the same level of independence that lead to some of the best experiences in my early life. Like biking to school independently, frequent games of DnD with friends across town and other social activities, going to library daily to play with computers, drinking alcohol for the first time and being able to (safely) get home, etc.

In contrast bringing up my own kids in car-centric California seems quite more limiting. I like to brag to my American friends how I would bike to school by myself at age 9 and how it would be completely impossible here. Now, I don't think we should necessarily try to compare or convert every place to one like Delft but experiencing this increased/free mobility early on in life definitely changes ones perspective and arguably stimulates greater independence.