Becoming Urban Cyclists: From Socialization to Skills

Since the turn of the 21st century, cycling has been re-considered as utilitarian transport. Starting generally from a very low percentage of modal share, it has surged in many major cities of the Global North. Cycling is being progressively integrated into mobility and urban planning programmes and infrastructure, although allocated budgets remain small compared to those for motor transport. However, this is not enough to turn cities into cycling spaces. Becoming an urban cyclist requires a variety of skills and sets of knowledge achieved through different forms of socialization. “Becoming” expresses the focus on this process, which can vary with culture, gender and social space, but also with topography, technical developments like electrification, residential and occupational location, the social environments in which riders grew up and national or local campaigns to promote cycling. This volume uses qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods and is based on fieldwork conducted in Australia, France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. It focuses on the acquisition of skills and competences and supplements existing work by linking cycling practices to individual life courses and to gender and social inequalities. Through a multidisciplinary approach utilizing the different perspectives of the authors as anthropologists, geographers, linguists, sociologists and urban planners, it sheds light on geographical and sociological differences to help understand factors likely to facilitate or curb urban cycling practices.