Reversing the politics of youth velonomy Realist action research on the pluriversal rationalities and representations of collaborative cycling governance

In the 2020s numerous cities and societies are making efforts, investments, and changes to (re)establish urban cycling as a sustainable, inclusive and convenient mode of urban mobility. However, critical cycling research has shown that this narrative is marred by inequalities respective to class, gender, age, ethnicity and other social markers. Cycling governance and advocacy are criticised for being stuck in reductive mobility rationalities and reproducing exclusive representations of ‘cyclists’ and ‘cycling’. As such, urban cycling might currently be unable to meet its emancipatory and progressive potentials.
This thesis addresses these issues from the viewpoint of children and young people. Following critical realist ontology, epistemology and mode of inquiry, the study explains the functioning of social mechanisms (velonomy and mobility commoning) that can prefigure more inclusive and child-friendly mobilities across different contexts.