Sustainable cycling futures: can cycling be the future?

摘要

In a world which is constantly "on the move" (Urry 2007), increasing attention has been given to the practice of cycling and its potential contribution to a more sustainable re-configuration of everyday living and moving (Cox 2010; May 2013, Sheller; Urry 2000). Despite its long history, cycling has been re-introduced as a "new" mobility practice that could configure more sustainable futures, by addressing a wider range of socio-environmental issues: from pollution, congestion, health, disease and climate change to quality of life, community cohesion and poverty alleviation (OECD 2004; ITF 2016). Such developments have not left academia untouched. Scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds have attempted to unpack the complex, diverse and global nature of cycling beyond its singular sense and understanding (Horton, Rosen, and Cox 2007; Vivanco 2013). They have provided historical accounts of technologies, sports and innovation for cycling (Oldenziel et al. 2016; Hadland and Lessing 2014). Coming from the disciplinary approaches of engineering, planning and design, they have debated cycling futures with regard to places, infrastructures, products, policies and technologies (Bonham and Johnson 2015; Forsyth and Oakes 2015; Cervero et al. 2009; Gerike and Parkin 2015). They also underlined the need for a more critical engagement that would help understand the social, cultural and political conditions driving cycling practices (Hoffman 2016; Cox 2015; Furness 2010; Stehlin 2019; Mannisto-Funk and Myllyntaus 2019).