Different Conceptions of Active Mobility: How Cyclability Is Planned in the World. Case Study Investigation

Active mobility is promoted for its positive effects mainly by three disciplines: urban planning, transport planning, and public health. This chapter attempts to identify a set of common characteristics in cycle route planning based on an analysis of major case studies from around the world. It proposes an investigation methodology that lays the foundations for the identification of cycle route projects that have been of major significance in the world. The process followed saw the division of the world into five areas based on the density of interventions and their capillarity in the territory: North America, Australia and the Far East, Northern Europe, Central Europe, and Mediterranean Europe. For each area, seven projects were examined. The results obtained allowed a comparison with what is emerging from the scientific reading of the sector, noting points of agreement and new trends. This study also has the additional objective of understanding how decisions within the same policy area may differ according to territorial and cultural boundary conditions.