Maximilian Hoor on Berlin as a hotspot of urban cycling culture and how knowledge of the city’s diverse cycling scene would promote a transport transition towards a bike-friendly city

Berlin, October 29, 2024. Achieving a transport transition that aims to transform cities to make them safer, more liveable and ‘greener’ is not feasible without a massive expansion of cycling and thus a reduction in car traffic. In his dissertation ‘Urban Cycling and Changing Mobility Cultures’, which has now been published as a book by Kulturverlag Kadmos, Dr Maximilian Hoor analyses how knowledge about the cultural constitution of Berlin’s cycling community can promote cycling planning measures.

On the one hand, the different cycling scenes in Berlin – from the cycling policy movement to the sports, leisure and lifestyle scene – are characterised by different wishes, ideas and needs with which transport planners are confronted in the now obligatory participatory processes. And without knowledge of this, communication is extremely conflict-ridden, says Dr Maximilian Hoor in the interview. On the other hand, these scenes have a great deal of empirical knowledge, which is helpful, if not essential, in the transformation from a car-friendly to a bicycle-friendly and therefore also climate-resilient city. ‘All those who cycle to work, school or university every day know exactly where cycle paths make the most sense. Anyone who takes their child to nursery every day knows where it is dangerous and what it takes to make a cycle path safe. A cycle courier knows the routes that would be best suited for a cycle highway. So talking to those who cycle a lot is extremely useful when implementing cycling infrastructure,’ says Dr Maximilian Hoor, who completed his doctorate at the TU’s Integrated Transport Planning department.

Hoor also sees cyclists as the real drivers of innovation, who are already living the transport revolution on a small scale. ‘E-mobility may be a contribution to reducing emissions. But it won’t solve the traffic problems in cities,’ says Hoor.



To the interview ‘Cyclists are the real drivers of innovation ’ (https://www.tu.berlin/go272527/)

Further information:

Maximilian Hoor, „Urbanes Radfahren und Mobilitätskulturen im Wandel“, Kulturverlag Kadmos 2024, 454 Seiten, 29 Abbildungen, 39,80 Euro, ISBN 978-3-86599-572-8

ImageSource Archiv Innsbruck