Cycling against traffic, mixed traffic, lack of cycle parking space, cycle lanes being occupied... After returning from the Netherlands, as a daily rider, I discovered that although China is called 'Bicycle Kingdom', there’s huge gap between Chinese cycle infrastructure and the Netherlands. Meanwhile the Department of Architecture of Jiaotong University just happened to invited me to teach urban design. Based on the topic “Cycling@Shanghai” two rounds research were carried out, and the outcomes were assembled into a book.
This is an urban research book. Starting from brief bicycle history, the book systematically introduces the cycle infrastructure planning by comparative studies on the seven bike-friendly cities (Copenhagen, Paris,Vienna, Berlin, etc.) around the world. After analyzing the current cycling condition in Shanghai, we propose a specific urban planning strategy and presents the big potential that cycling can bring to the public space.
Before this publication, the domestic researches on cycling were either limited to traffic analysis or merely policy studies of international cities. This is the first book that fully analyze the history of bicycle development, its impact, and the potential that cycling can bring to the city. This book not only presents a vision for the Shanghai slow traffic system, but also establishes a city research methodology and international coordinate that can be used for evaluating different cities' slow traffic systems.
By working together with designers Haller Brun, we transformed large quantities of data, facts, tables and diagrams into a veritable feast for the eye. In four Pantone colours, including metallic and fluorescent, they have created a book that is wonderfully fresh and clear.