Dockless bikes offer the unexpected and help users navigate and understand the urban environment in new and different ways.

In an excerpt from the new book The Urban Improvise: Improvisation-Based Design for Hybrid Cities, Kristian Kloeckl reflects on the role of dockless bike systems as part of the urban landscape. He looks at the changes in bikeshare program from Amsterdam’s White Bicycle Plan in the 1960s to today’s digital and highly connected networks.
Dockless bikes offer the openness and freedom to make new and more spontaneous travel decisions, says Kloeckl. "When you see a bike in plain sight or virtually on a digital map, you walk up to it, unlock it with your smartphone, and start riding it, to then leave it parked at any spot. It is a strength of the system that it is so inviting and easily accessible; people come up with new ways of integrating these bikes into their daily routines that they themselves did not consider before."
Dockless bikesharing is not without its issues — missing and abandoned bikes or bikes left outside of the system’s boundaries, for example. But this uncertainty is also what fuels the possibilities, argues Kloeckl.
"The dockless bike-sharing system is in constant flux. Bikes are parked in different locations all the time, and the system, in this way, is capable of adapting to changing conditions of traffic, housing, residency, and so on. Precisely because there are no predetermined docking stations, the parked bike locations remain relevant in the context of constantly changing urban conditions, as the locations are an expression of actual use," adds Kloeckl.
FULL STORY: Embracing the Improvisation of Dockless Bike-Share

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units
Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

NRDC Releases State Transportation Scorecard
The Getting Transportation Right report highlights which states are making the most progress on reducing transportation emissions and improving access to clean transportation options.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service