Fixed gear, single speed, cruiser, recumbent, in-tandem—regardless of the model, bicycling as transportation, recreation, politics, and culture contributes to urban form, contemporary life, and place-making. In bike-friendly cities across North America—despite their differences in geography, history, politics, weather, and infrastructure—similar organizations, discussions, and planning and design practices for bicycling have emerged. Led by moderator John O’Neal, from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, this program will present the history of the culture of urban bicycling. Greg Borzo, author of Where to Bike in Chicago, Randy Neufeld of SRAM Corporation and board chair of Active Transportation Alliance, and Harry Wray, author of Pedal Power: The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life will be among the panelists. They will consider bicycling as a political and cultural act and examine how it competes with, complements, and contrasts with other uses of our public spaces and infrastructure investments.

This program is presented in partnership with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

For more information and tickets, go to the Chicago Humanities Festival website.