Revitalizing and Reconnecting Western New York's Regional Biking Network

Support and popularity for bicycle use and culture has grown in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Following a deadly incident killing two cyclists at a bicycle event, the city has seen a demonstrative outpouring of support. City officials and activists say that while the tragedy created a sense of solidarity in support of cyclists, the city itself has started seeing shifts, in culture and policy, over the years to become more bicycle friendly.

Shortly following the 2018 Midterm elections in the U.S. House of Representatives, a group of legislators known as the Problem Solvers Caucus used their numbers to change House rules easing the passage of bipartisan legislation. After working to build consensus on issues like health care, infrastructure, gun control, and immigration since 2013, the congressional membership organization noticed that their bipartisan bills often did not receive a fair chance due to the significant power that Speaker and committee chairs held in deciding which bills advanced. Their "Break the Gridlock" reforms changed that.

Food and common passions are bringing people together for solutions-oriented conversations about the communities they live in. The Knight Foundation’s “On the Table” series started in Chicago and has now expanded to 30 cities. It’s an all-day event to encourage civic dialogue.

The Dutch city of Eindhoven was built around the car, even into the 1970s, but as part of remaking itself after its main industries declined or moved away, it has made a dramatic shift to emphasizing cycling. City officials took steps to improve infrastructure as a way to elevate the city’s image internationally and also meet the needs of locals through high-profile projects that proved so popular the city was emboldened to revamp a major motorway into a public greenspace.

In Minneapolis, the nonprofit behind the city's bike share system plans to expand with a dockless model that will bring bikes into more neighborhoods while addressing some of the issues that model has encountered in other cities with bikes left in haphazard locations. Nice Ride will work with neighborhoods and city officials to create designated drop off zones and use a GPS system to find missing bikes. This cuts down on the docking infrastructure cost and allows more rapid expansion.

Most people in Holland ride a bicycle every week thanks to a widespread public commitment to a biking culture and infrastructure where everyone feels welcome. That includes very visible dedicated bike paths designed for the most sedate cyclist, courses teaching children safe cycling skills, and connections to combine biking and transit. Most Dutch don't need helmets because rather than making bicyclists dress to confront danger, the country has made the environs safer for cyclists.

Governments in the United Kingdom, the United States, and elsewhere use crowdfunded donations to restore historic areas and fund new developments. The approach can build democratic participation and community cohesion while plugging budgetary holes from falling tax revenue.

When lead and arsenic levels threatened the communities in Southeastern Colorado, the Environmental Protection Agency was asked to step in. In order to have a seat at the table when decisions were being made, community members in the city of Pueblo created a Community Advisory Group. This allowed them to not only increase their understanding of possible decisions, but also offer feedback. It has also offered a model for surrounding communities that are facing similar situations.

TARU, an Indian thinktank, has found that Indians cities have combined decentralized action and "multi-stakeholder engagement" in public policy to respond to problems of scarcity in water and power as well as climate change-related natural disasters. Municipalities are putting responsibility for improving local lives at the grassroots level; integrating disruptive technologies from the private sector; and fostering collaboration between government and citizens.

Istanbul is often congested with traffic, especially as the population grows and more people buy cars but the lack of bicycle infrastructure has prevented biking from being an alternative transportation. This is changing now that biking is being encouraged through social media, the Cyclists' Transport Platform organizing group bike rides, the creation of bike lanes and other initiatives.