cycling,
policy and
social behaviour.
Throughout, both, group and individual work cycling has played a key part in the design process. There isn't a lack of evidence out there to support the case for cycling in most instances. Not only is it a healthy, more environmentally friendly way of getting around, it's also a tool for change, as it gives many the ability to change their own destiny by allowing them the freedom to travel wherever, whenever. But what does it take to ensure the success of a cycling scheme? And how can it be used as a means of disrupting existing paradigms and improving quality of life to others?
incentivising change
The following is an excerpt from my semester one humanities essay.
For references and access to the full essay click here.
“The end of the Second World War brought about with it a new age of social optimism. In the decades following the end of the war, there was a drive to rebuild Britain (OpenLearn, 2001). The ambition of this era was one of re- building and rectifying the mistakes made in the past, namely those mistakes that were brought about by the rapid growth of cities like London and Manchester, fuelled by the explosive growth of the industrial revolution. Living conditions in cities were at an all time low, as pollution and over crowding became the way of life for those living in these cities (Thomas and Cresswell, 1975).
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The ambitious scale of these new towns came at a time when the modernists had equally ambitious ideas of social reorganisation (Cupers, 2013). Designing entire communities Tabula Rasa was inherently compatible with modernists’ rejection of the status quo and their vision of a utopian future. The approach to town planning in the era was one of rational and functional design (OpenLearn, 2001), making an attempt to rectify the expedient and unchecked growth of the cities at the turn of the 20th century, which were perceived to be wholly irrational, unclean and unsafe.
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An example of this comes from the new town – Stevenage. Designated in 1946, it was part of the first wave of New Towns that were built immediately after the passing of the New Towns Act of 1946. Stevenage was planned to maximise safety in the face of the expected increase in vehicular traffic (Stevenage.gov.uk, n.d.). The introduction of the segregated cycle paths that linked the town was a move to increase the use of alternative modes of transport in the town and to promote the health and freedom of the residents of the town (Claxton, 2015). Traffic-calming methods, such as the extensive use of roundabouts, became a key part of the town’s plan, and their successful implementation in Stevenage led to them becoming a regular feature in the new towns movement.”
Stevenage's town centre was one of the first to be fully pedestrianised in Britain. Today, that is still very much the case.
(Salih, 2017)
Claxton’s ideas regarding bike use in town planning were well ahead of their time. The creation of this network of cycle ways, heavily inspired by Dutch cycling infrastructure, was done with the expressed intent of making cycling an easy and safe alternative to driving. Stevenage’s size was perfect for this, too.
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However, although Claxton’s plan for Stevenage’s cycle ways was extensive and thorough, it also provided just as well for vehicular traffic – which was beginning to boom at the time. It was just as easy, if not easier, for the people of Stevenage to drive into the city centre than it was to cycle. This presented the gap between the infrastructure of the city and the culture within it.
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map of Stevenage's roads network
(Salih, 2017)
The three main modes of transport were incorporated intelligently into Claxton's master plan - cycling, walking and public transport. This image above highlights the interstices where the three modes meet.
(Salih, 2017)
Roundabouts are also a key part of the master plan, allowing cars to come further into the city.
(Salih, 2017)
When trying to instigate changes in social behaviour, the incentive for the change has to outweigh that of the current paradigm. So in the example of Claxton’s plan for Stevenage, the extensive nature of the cycle ways was the incentive but the ease of driving and parking in the town’s centre was far more effective in persuading people to opt for the car as the primary choice for transport within the city.
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Greater comfort, convenience and passenger capacity meant that the incentives for car use outweighed those of cycling. And so driving became the dominant form of transport in Stevenage.
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It is this idea of incentives that informs a lot of policy and decisions, across a vast spectrum of fields of policy and economy. If you want to make a common practice happen less frequently you’d tax it, as is the case with cigarettes and more recently foods high in sugar. Making it more expensive and thus less attractive as an option.
Through this understanding of social behaviour, it is possible to start thinking about how to encourage more people to cycle. In the instance of our collective practice’s master plan, we aimed to discourage vehicular use by drastically reducing the number of motor traffic and we then focused on adding and improving new and efficient public transport and cycling links.
A working, if not rudimentary, understanding of how to design beyond the building will go a long way in ensuring the success of design interventions. So it is key that I take the lessons that the team and I implemented in our master plan forward into my own project.
freedom in the city
One of the biggest costs associated with living in a city is that of transport. This is perhaps the most evident in the giant, sprawling urban labyrinths in cities like London and New York. In London, the costs of transport can prove prohibitive to those who are in need of regular transport between the city’s zones.
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price of a day ticket from zone 1 to 2
price of a day ticket for zones 1 - 6
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These prices make it especially difficult to refugees and asylum seekers living in London. With a weekly income is around 36 pounds per week, making it difficult to be able to travel further or even at all to support and guidance services, in addition to a loss of freedom of movement around this city.
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27,500
bikes are abandoned in London each year.
13,500
asylum seekers flee to London each year.
£1,000
one abandoned bike can save £21 a week on transport costs, adding up to over £1,000 a year in transport savings.
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Within the same city, there is a remarkable number of abandoned bicycles. The Bike Project acknowledges this fact and aims to help make use of these bikes to enable refugees in, and around, London. By giving the refugees access to bikes, they are able to suddenly have access to food banks, legal advice, health care, education and other refugee communities that they were previously cut off from. This is all in addition to the process of teaching and training bike safety, maintenance and repair, all in the name of empowering and granting a sense of volition to men and women alike.
The bike project recognises that the bicycle is a tool that can be used to grant independence and allow the most vulnerable members of the city to find their way back into society. This is something that is invaluable, not only for refugees but also, for communities in and around urban centres.
a centre for the community
Based in Stokes Croft, Bristol, Hamilton House is a community centre that has a rich and varied programme that has the primary goal to enrich the lives of the local community through the arts.
The services the centre provides range from wellbeing and
healthcare to cooking and bicycle maintenance workshops that run at the former office block.
Much of Hamilton House's souvenirs and artwork is produced by the artists occupying the studio spaces in the building.
In its 10 years of operation, Hamilton House has had an immeasurable impact on the local community and the arts in Stokes Croft. It's an outstanding example of community space done right.
As is the case with any attempt to change social behaviour, it isn't always as straightforward as providing the infrastructure. In our master plan, we proposed an improved network of cycling paths throughout Stretford and reaching out to the surrounding communities. However, by ensuring that cycling is a part of my scheme, can increase the chances of the success of the attempt to move people away from the car as the first port of call for journeys in and around Stretford.
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By looking at projects like the bike project, or other schemes similar to it. It is possible to get a sense of what can be achieved by using bikes and cycling culture as a way of unlocking potential change in Stretford.
Combining the lessons I have learnt from my experiences as a cyclist in a bustling city, an architecture student, a traveller and from research I have undertaken in the past few years will be difficult. As I try and bring these ideas together and synthesise a project that leaves a lasting positive impact on the community and the city as a whole.
