Bicycle Architecture Biennale Showcases Exceptional Projects Around the World

The Bicycle Architecture Biennale recently kicked off in Amsterdam and includes 15 projects from nine countries. The goal of the biennale is to highlight visionary ways that biking can be part of urban and natural landscapes and help create sustainable, cleaner, and healthier cities.

The projects include bike parking structures, bike paths and routes, and other infrastructure that helps to integrate biking into mobility networks. "In Xiamen, [China], an aerial bike path travels for nearly five miles—the longest elevated bike path in the world—with 11 exits to public transit hubs and bike rental for people who are rushing to a nearby bus or subway station. At rush hour, more than 2,000 bikes an hour can fit on the path," writes Adele Peters.

Two projects in Belgium give people access to nature through cycling. "In the middle of a Belgian nature preserve, a sunken bike trail cuts directly through a pond, so cyclists can ride at eye level with the water and glide by swans. The path, called Cycling through Water, helps inspire people to ride bikes; an average of 800 visitors a day now come through the area."

Peters takes a look at all the Bicycle Architecture Biennale projects—some completed and some proposed. The range of innovative ideas is impressive and sure to inspire more creative thinking about the future of biking.