Event Details

Please join us for the kick-off of the 2013 Fall MI+SPIA Lecture Series, hosted by the Urban Affairs and Planning Program:

Cycling is taking the Metropolitan Washington, DC, region by storm—four times as many DC residents commute by bicycle today than did in 1990, along with a tripling of regional bike commuters during the same time period. Numerous policy changes have been adopted that promote cycling along with the installation of new bike infrastructure and the expansion of the popular Capital Bikeshare program to four jurisdictions—Alexandria, Arlington County, the District, and Montgomery County. With the support of pioneering policymakers and the strong voices of regional and local cycling groups, bicycling is now a staple of regional and policy planning, policy, and design discussion. However, what will it take to make the District and its core jurisdictions the next bike capital of the USA? How can cycling become irresistible?

Dr. Ralph Buehler, co-editor of the popular book, City Cycling (2012, The MIT Press), will share his observations about the region’s current cycling boom along with a discussion about the potential for Washington, DC, to become the Bicycling Capital of the USA. He will discuss trends and determinants of cycling in the Washington, DC, region in relation to other successful cycling cities in North America and Europe, and offer an assessment of how Washington, DC, compares in terms of cycling levels, cycling safety, cycling infrastructure, bike parking, the integration of cycling with public transportation, and the promotion of cycling for all groups. Cities seeking to make city cycling feasible, convenient, and safe for commutes to work and school, shopping trips, visits, and other daily transportation will demand the coordination of infrastructure and the promotion of programs, and government policies.

Ralph Buehler, PhD, Associate Professor, Virginia Tech, is an Assistant Professor in Urban Affairs & Planning and a Faculty Fellow with the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech’s Alexandria Center. Most of his research has an international comparative perspective, contrasting transport and land-use policies, transport systems, and travel behavior in Western Europe and North America. His research interests include: (1) the influence of transport policy, land use, socio-demographics on travel behavior; (2) active travel and public health; and (3) public transport demand, supply, and financial efficiency.

6:00 – 6:30 PM Arrive early to meet Faculty if you have any questions about becoming a graduate student in Urban Affairs and Planning (UAP)
Light refreshments will be served

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