07/28 : Lecture - New York’s pedal power and Beijing’s bicycles

New York’s pedal power and Beijing’s bicycles


STC Beijing will present their ongoing recent research on aspects of bicycle culture in various places across the globe. This event is a preview to an upcoming talk which STC will give at ‘UIA2011 Tokyo – The World Congress of Architecture’ later this year.



Outline:

Beijing was once the bicycle kingdom, but nowadays ridership is rapidly declining, against the global trend of an awakening emphasis on the bicycle as vital way to provide urban mobility. STC is looking at reasons for the current situation in Beijing and shows international examples of how bicycle mobility and culture are promoted. We specifically discuss experiences from New York City which recently embraced cycling and show which grassroots, policy and infrastructure initiatives made a bicycle renaissance happen in the big apple. We will conclude with showing internationally unique aspects of Beijing's bicycle culture and outline potentials for the future of urban bicycling in Beijing.



About the speakers :

Florian Lorenz is an ecological designer and researcher working in landscape, architecture and urbanism. He studied ecology as well as landscape architecture and landscape planning in Vienna and Copenhagen. Lorenz is working as a consultant for international architecture and planning offices in Austria and China. In the past he lectured and taught at universities in Austria and the US.

Shanon Bufton has a background in design and urban planning. He has worked as an urban designer across China and the Middle East. In recent years he has focused his attention on bicycle culture. He co-founded ‘STC - Smarter Than Car’ in Beijing which was set up to promote a modern urban cycling culture. He is also an active road cyclist.


Address： Trends Lounge /  Beijing Chaoyang District The Place North side Trends Plaza 2nd Floor L214
Time ： 7pm Thursday July 28th 2011