A study conducted by the Project for Public Spaces finds that New York's new CitiBike stations are a locus for more than just cycling. They provide wayfinding and street seating, serve as gathering places, and encourage random social interactions.
"Are bikeshare stations adding to the sociability and amenability of the places they occupy?" ask PPS Transportation Associate David M. Nelson and Transportation Intern David Leyzerovsky. Using the observational methods of William Holly Whyte, they found: "the answer was a clear and resounding 'Yes!' People — not just bikeshare users, but everyone passing by station docks — are adopting the bikeshare system as part of the social infrastructure of the city."
At locations throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, they observed that "[t[he bikeshare stations provided a place for people to eat, read, relax, socialize, skateboard, people watch, and play."
"Beyond their official purpose as merely a transportation program, bikeshare stations have proven to be dynamic tools for triangulation," they conclude.
FULL STORY: The Social Life of CitiBike Stations
How Public Spaces Can Better Support Houseless Communities
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles
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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.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions