TY - BOOK

T1 - Understanding the preconditions for revitalizing bicycle transport in Beijing, with a reference study from Copenhagen.

AU - Zhao, Chunli

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - With the aim of supporting the development of comprehensive policies for revitalizing bicycle transport in Beijing, this thesis has applied the socio-ecological model to guide the inquiry into the domains: individual, social environment, physical environment and policy. These four domains were embedded in the analyses of correlates of current cycling mode share and attitude towards future cycling among Beijing residents, as well as an in-depth analysis of bicycle infrastructure planning and planning cultures in Beijing and Copenhagen. The study contributes to the state-of-the-art in the fields of transport and planning research by strengthening the knowledge base on the conditions that affect the use of bicycles in the megacities of developing world as well as by exploring the factors governing the populations’ attitudes towards their future mobility. Furthermore, the study contributes to the knowledge base of planning research by comparatively analyzing the states of bicycle infrastructure planning in Beijing and Copenhagen. It highlights the differences of supportiveness in planning cultures between the two cities, in order to enable the transference of knowledge and experiences for accelerating the identification of effective solutions in specific cities and in specific planning cultures. For Beijing residents, the bicycle is currently a mode of transport for those with limited education and limited financial resources. The young Beijingers are least likely to cycle. This age difference is likely to be partly due to a cohort difference and, thus, indicates a growing problem for cycling in Beijing. On the other hand, clear associations with density and other urban form variables indicate that the proximity environment and urban development policies can also affect cycling. The effect of residents’ hukou status indicates how country-specific conditions can influence findings related to both current and future travel behavior. However, even though Beijing is a highly dense city in the developing world, conclusions with respect to urban form and cycling are, for the large part, the same as for many developed world cities. Focusing on the Beijing residents’ attitudes towards their future travel modes provides a new perspective on probable drivers of ongoing change in mobility. The current socio-economic profile of the respondents was found to be weakly linked with attitudes towards future cycling, but was important for their inclination to drive a car in the future. The objectively measured urban environment was found to be not related to attitudes towards future cycling and car driving. Pro-cycling attitudes as well as the perceived quality of the cycling environment were found to be significantly associated with current cyclists’ inclination to continue to cycle, non-cyclists’ intentions towards taking up cycling as well as non-car owners’ intentions to drive a car. Additionally, short (<2km) everyday travel distances were linked to certainty in terms of continuing cycling or cycling more in the future, whereas long everyday travel distances (>10km) were linked to uncertainty regarding future cycling. The combination of a link between car aspirations and perceived environment for cycling, as well as the unclear socio-economic profile of attitudes towards future cycling may be seen as a ‘window of opportunity’ for Beijing’s cycling promotion. Bicycle infrastructure planning plays an important role in creating a supportive cycling environment. The study found that bicycle infrastructure planning is far more than a technical task. The planning culture, reflected by the values, perceptions and cognitive frames shared in the public domain, is found to be closely connected with the bicycle infrastructure planning outcomes. Assumptions and espoused beliefs shared in the planning environments impact how generic planning principles for bicycle-friendly infrastructure are considered in the planning process, consequently, resulting in differentiated local planning practices. Cohesion and safety are considered the most important principles in both cities, while directness, attractiveness, and comfort are considered secondary in Beijing, but are well developed and considered important in Copenhagen. The values and beliefs of the planners that are embedded not only in a planning environment, but are also rooted in the wider societal environment, contribute to shaping the status and the role of bicycle transport in the specific urban context of two cities. Beijing planners’ viewpoints indicate uncertainty with respect to the feasibility and suitability of bicycles as a travel mode in the city and for themselves. This is in contrast to the Copenhagen planners, who consider bicycles as a key element of future mobility, and tend to have strong professional identities connected to bicycle planning, which are also linked to personal travel priorities. Comparative studies are found efficient for enabling knowledge exchange, which can stimulate cities with little bicycle infrastructure planning experience to learn from cities with long traditions of building bicycle infrastructures. By sharing experience on how to cope with challenges for bicycle infrastructure planning, the identification of effective solutions in specific cities and in specific planning cultures could be accelerated. According to the findings from the papers, the study suggests four policy perspectives to achieve comprehensive policy to revitalize bicycle transport in Beijing. Those policy perspectives include targeting specific socio-demographic groups, increasing public awareness of the benefits of cycling, enhancing the bicycle-friendliness of infrastructure planning and design and prioritizing bicycle transport through comprehensive policies.

AB - With the aim of supporting the development of comprehensive policies for revitalizing bicycle transport in Beijing, this thesis has applied the socio-ecological model to guide the inquiry into the domains: individual, social environment, physical environment and policy. These four domains were embedded in the analyses of correlates of current cycling mode share and attitude towards future cycling among Beijing residents, as well as an in-depth analysis of bicycle infrastructure planning and planning cultures in Beijing and Copenhagen. The study contributes to the state-of-the-art in the fields of transport and planning research by strengthening the knowledge base on the conditions that affect the use of bicycles in the megacities of developing world as well as by exploring the factors governing the populations’ attitudes towards their future mobility. Furthermore, the study contributes to the knowledge base of planning research by comparatively analyzing the states of bicycle infrastructure planning in Beijing and Copenhagen. It highlights the differences of supportiveness in planning cultures between the two cities, in order to enable the transference of knowledge and experiences for accelerating the identification of effective solutions in specific cities and in specific planning cultures. For Beijing residents, the bicycle is currently a mode of transport for those with limited education and limited financial resources. The young Beijingers are least likely to cycle. This age difference is likely to be partly due to a cohort difference and, thus, indicates a growing problem for cycling in Beijing. On the other hand, clear associations with density and other urban form variables indicate that the proximity environment and urban development policies can also affect cycling. The effect of residents’ hukou status indicates how country-specific conditions can influence findings related to both current and future travel behavior. However, even though Beijing is a highly dense city in the developing world, conclusions with respect to urban form and cycling are, for the large part, the same as for many developed world cities. Focusing on the Beijing residents’ attitudes towards their future travel modes provides a new perspective on probable drivers of ongoing change in mobility. The current socio-economic profile of the respondents was found to be weakly linked with attitudes towards future cycling, but was important for their inclination to drive a car in the future. The objectively measured urban environment was found to be not related to attitudes towards future cycling and car driving. Pro-cycling attitudes as well as the perceived quality of the cycling environment were found to be significantly associated with current cyclists’ inclination to continue to cycle, non-cyclists’ intentions towards taking up cycling as well as non-car owners’ intentions to drive a car. Additionally, short (<2km) everyday travel distances were linked to certainty in terms of continuing cycling or cycling more in the future, whereas long everyday travel distances (>10km) were linked to uncertainty regarding future cycling. The combination of a link between car aspirations and perceived environment for cycling, as well as the unclear socio-economic profile of attitudes towards future cycling may be seen as a ‘window of opportunity’ for Beijing’s cycling promotion. Bicycle infrastructure planning plays an important role in creating a supportive cycling environment. The study found that bicycle infrastructure planning is far more than a technical task. The planning culture, reflected by the values, perceptions and cognitive frames shared in the public domain, is found to be closely connected with the bicycle infrastructure planning outcomes. Assumptions and espoused beliefs shared in the planning environments impact how generic planning principles for bicycle-friendly infrastructure are considered in the planning process, consequently, resulting in differentiated local planning practices. Cohesion and safety are considered the most important principles in both cities, while directness, attractiveness, and comfort are considered secondary in Beijing, but are well developed and considered important in Copenhagen. The values and beliefs of the planners that are embedded not only in a planning environment, but are also rooted in the wider societal environment, contribute to shaping the status and the role of bicycle transport in the specific urban context of two cities. Beijing planners’ viewpoints indicate uncertainty with respect to the feasibility and suitability of bicycles as a travel mode in the city and for themselves. This is in contrast to the Copenhagen planners, who consider bicycles as a key element of future mobility, and tend to have strong professional identities connected to bicycle planning, which are also linked to personal travel priorities. Comparative studies are found efficient for enabling knowledge exchange, which can stimulate cities with little bicycle infrastructure planning experience to learn from cities with long traditions of building bicycle infrastructures. By sharing experience on how to cope with challenges for bicycle infrastructure planning, the identification of effective solutions in specific cities and in specific planning cultures could be accelerated. According to the findings from the papers, the study suggests four policy perspectives to achieve comprehensive policy to revitalize bicycle transport in Beijing. Those policy perspectives include targeting specific socio-demographic groups, increasing public awareness of the benefits of cycling, enhancing the bicycle-friendliness of infrastructure planning and design and prioritizing bicycle transport through comprehensive policies.

UR - https://soeg.kb.dk/permalink/45KBDK_KGL/fbp0ps/alma99122916538905763

M3 - Ph.D. thesis

BT - Understanding the preconditions for revitalizing bicycle transport in Beijing, with a reference study from Copenhagen.

PB - Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen

CY - Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen

ER -