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Riding tandem: Does cycling infrastructure investment mirror gentrification and privilege in Portland, OR and Chicago, IL?

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  • Flanagan, Elizabeth
  • Lachapelle, Ugo
  • El-Geneidy, Ahmed

Abstract

Bicycles have the potential to provide an environmentally friendly, healthy, low cost, and enjoyable transportation option to people of all socio-demographic backgrounds. This research assesses the geographic distribution of cycling infrastructure with regard to community demographic characteristics to assess claims that cycling investment arrives in tandem with incoming populations of privilege or is targeted towards neighborhoods with existing socioeconomic wealth. Using census and municipal cycling infrastructure data in Chicago and Portland from 1990 to 2010, we create demographic and cycling infrastructure investment indices at the census tract level. Linear regressions estimate the extent to which existing community demographics and change in demographics associated with gentrification are related to cycling infrastructure investment. In both cities, we identify a bias towards increased cycling infrastructure investment in areas of existing or increasing privilege. This paper suggests that marginalized communities are unlikely to attract as much cycling infrastructure investment without the presence of privileged populations, even when considering population density and distance to downtown, two motivators of urban cycling. To alleviate the continuation of inequitable distributions of cycling investments, planning processes may actively seek out diverse stakeholders and be sensitive to citywide community input and stated needs in future transportation projects.

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  • Flanagan, Elizabeth & Lachapelle, Ugo & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2016. "Riding tandem: Does cycling infrastructure investment mirror gentrification and privilege in Portland, OR and Chicago, IL?," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 14-24.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:retrec:v:60:y:2016:i:c:p:14-24
    DOI: 10.1016/j.retrec.2016.07.027
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    1. Poor and black ‘invisible cyclists’ need to be part of post-pandemic transport planning too
      by ? in DJG Blogger on 2020-05-27 17:52:52

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    Cited by:

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    6. Emma McDougall & Brian Doucet, 2022. "Polarized Paths: ‘Selling’ Cycling in City and Suburb," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 113(2), pages 179-193, April.
    7. Oscar Sosa López, 2021. "BICYCLE POLICY IN MEXICO CITY: Urban Experiments and Differentiated Citizenship," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(3), pages 477-497, May.
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    9. Cunha, Isabel & Silva, Cecília & Büttner, Benjamin & Toivonen, Tuuli, 2024. "Pursuing cycling equity? A mixed-methods analysis of cycling plans in European cities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 237-246.
    10. Barajas, Jesus, 2021. "The Roots of Racialized Travel Behavior," SocArXiv unmkx, Center for Open Science.
    11. Shin, Eun Jin, 2023. "Decomposing neighborhood disparities in bicycle crashes: A Gelbach decomposition analysis," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 156-172.
    12. Aldred, Rachel & Verlinghieri, Ersilia & Sharkey, Megan & Itova, Irena & Goodman, Anna, 2021. "Equity in new active travel infrastructure: A spatial analysis of London's new Low Traffic Neighbourhoods," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    13. Konstantin Klemmer & Tobias Brandt & Stephen Jarvis, 2018. "Isolating the effect of cycling on local business environments in London," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(12), pages 1-31, December.
    14. Hudde, Ansgar, 2023. "Have Cycling-Friendly Cities Achieved Cycling Equity? Analyses of the Educational Gradient in Cycling in Dutch and German Cities," SocArXiv 7c6d2, Center for Open Science.
    15. Firth, Caislin L. & Hosford, Kate & Winters, Meghan, 2021. "Who were these bike lanes built for? Social-spatial inequities in Vancouver's bikeways, 2001–2016," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    16. Ali Soltani & Andrew Allan & Masoud Javadpoor & Jaswanth Lella, 2022. "Space Syntax in Analysing Bicycle Commuting Routes in Inner Metropolitan Adelaide," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-13, March.
    17. Braun, Lindsay M. & Rodriguez, Daniel A. & Gordon-Larsen, Penny, 2019. "Social (in)equity in access to cycling infrastructure: Cross-sectional associations between bike lanes and area-level sociodemographic characteristics in 22 large U.S. cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    18. Naseri, Mahsa & Delbosc, Alexa & Kamruzzaman, Liton, 2023. "The role of neighbourhood design in cycling activity during COVID-19: An exploration of the Melbourne experience," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).

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