Cycling cities: how can cities build capacity to reshape urban transport

Study visit delegates from the U.S. observing a busy intersection during a guided bike tour. Utrecht, The Netherlands (photo: Meredith Glaser) - Cities all over the world increasingly position bicycling as a key ingredient to achieve sustainable mobility goals, yet grapple with finding the right way how. Visiting 'best practice' places with high rates of cycling and well-integrated policies, like many cities in the Netherlands, has become a well-worn strategy for local governments to gain 'first-hand experience'. Meredith Glaser untangled how learning at these 'sites of transfer' occurs and can translate into practical knowledge. She identifies certain drivers of learning that should be taken into account. Friday 10 September she will defend her PhD thesis at the University of Amsterdam. Motorized transport, mostly car trips by only one person, are still the dominant form of urban travel.