BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
"From New York to Singapore, from Copenhagen to Sydney, from Chicago to Amsterdam, and from São Paolo to Budapest, there is a groundswell of cyclists taking to the streets of major cities. Whether death-defying bike messengers, hipsters with a taste for cycle chic, or commuters simply cycling to work, cycling is viewed as more than just an alternative. It’s practical. It’s cool. It’s green."
This is the blurb for ‘Cycle-space’, a forthcoming book by Dr Steven Fleming, lecturer at the School of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Newcastle in Australia.
‘Cycle-space’ will be published by the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi), paid for by crowd-funding via Pozible.com, the Australian version of micro-funding website Kickstarter.com.
Fleming says he will be "connecting cycling, architecture, design and urban planning."
In a video promo for the book, Fleming starts by saying cities weren’t designed for cars and that the best cities in the future will be those that rip out motorways and replace them with people-friendly designs.
He describes the bicycle as a "transformative force in the design of our cities."
‘Cycle-space’ will be about "where architecture and urban design can begin to optimise conditions for cycling, and take inspiration from the aesthetics and ethics of cycling as well. It is where cities can begin reducing emissions, commute times, ill-health and sprawl," said Fleming.
"The emerging age of bicycle transport has enormous implications for architecture and urban design. The built environment is adapting, will adapt more in the future, and in the process [will] change cycling. Post-industrial cities are splitting, into urban renewal zones suited to cycling, and established areas that are remaining dependent on cars. Cyclists’ past battles for drivers’ respect, or their lobbying for protected bike lanes, seem to matter less by the day. Every new brownfield renewal scheme, waterfront promenade, and rail-to-trail project, brings cycling closer to having its own space in the city."
‘Cycle-space’ will feature portraits of established and upcoming bicycling cities, and will include photographs from Mikael Colville-Andersen, author of Copenhagenize.com.
