Bikeable cities of tomorrow A Chinese perspective on the built and the perceived environments

As an environmentally-friendly and socially-inclusive transportation mode, urban cycling alludes to a global conceptualisation in order to be comprehended as a whole. Surprisingly its comprehensive nature remains seldom investigated, most literature only encompassing physical-environmental and socio-demographic characteristics. As a result little is known about the perceived environment, bikeability measurements, and context specificities, begetting important knowledge gaps preventing a proper evaluation and definition of the cycling environment. In order to address these limitations I focus on the Chinese context and exhibit many relevant factors which have often been neglected in previous cycling-related studies. This research developed within a heuristic framework and systematically fed by a multidisciplinary approach, actively contributes to the on-going debates relating urban cycling to the overall concepts of sustainability, liveability and local cultures. As it strives to fully grasp the impact of the environment, from both objective and subjective viewpoints, it revitalizes a stereotyped transport-planning approach that is increasingly questioned among scholars. In particular, I expose significant conclusions regarding understanding, measurability, and correlation of variables commonly overlooked in conventional studies that support the growing consensus among researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers that an all-inclusive strategy is necessary to encourage and promote a shift towards active transportation. These findings expand and solidify the nascent foundations onto which practices and interventions can develop comprehensive policies, providing valuable answers to the problems hindering a multi-level and holistic approach. Hence, this thesis represents a first step towards the constitution of a tool-box for designing the bikeable city of tomorrow, in China and beyond.