Bicycle urbanism as a competitive advantage in the neoliberal age: the case of bicycle promotion in Portland

ABSTRACT

In the light of the emergent ‘bicycle renaissance’ in the US, this paper analyses the rationale basis of bicycle role model, Portland's promotion of bicycling. By conceptualizing bicycle promotion as a ‘travelling idea’, the paper discusses the key rationales and discourses structuring how bicycle policies are translated into the City of Portland. The study finds that strong neoliberal rationales such as competitiveness, cost-effectiveness, and value for money are pivotal in Portland's legitimization of spending on bicycle promotion, with sustainability and equity concerns being comparatively neglected. It is argued that this approach raises serious questions about the bicycle's potential as an egalitarian and sustainable practice, and urges potential ‘bicycle cities’ and advocates to be aware of the incommensurability of the creative class strategy and environmental justice goals.

KEYWORDS:

• Bicycling
• neoliberalism
• city competition
• Portland
• policy mobility

Acknowledgements

The study was carried out in relation to a study-related internship programme in the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability in the fall of 2015 in which one of the authors attended. The authors wish to thank Tyler Bump, senior economic planner at the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, for his role as host during the programme.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Kristian Olesen http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1318-6807

Additional information

Funding

The authors wish to thank the American-Scandinavian Foundation for invaluable support and the following foundations for financial support: Otto Mønsteds Fond, Oticon Fonden, Knud Højgaards Fond, and C.W. Obels Fond.