Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Steven 'Cycle Space' Fleming


Dr. Steven Fleming, senior lecturer at the University of Tasmania (Australia), is an expert in the field of architecture and urban design. His interest lies with the question of how to produce what he terms as cycle space within cities. Fleming used to be an a prototypal architect designing high-rise apartments for corporate clients. When, back in the nineties, Fleming realised that pedestrians and cyclists threatened to get lost from view in this type of urban design, he decided to do a PhD in order to gain more political influence. He chose ‘the cyclist’s apprehension of cities’ as his subject. There was however ‘no academic available to supervise a study focused on bikes’ and Fleming was ‘steered toward writing a dissertation about architecture and aesthetic philosophy’. Thankfully this hasn’t stopped him from focussing on cycling as the modern way of getting around in cities. Or, in his own words: ‘I’m an architectural academic on a mission to get as many cities as possible to approach their next growth phase with cycling at the forefront of everyone’s thinking. If urban districts existed that were designed around cycling (…) then that would give more people more access to more jobs, schools and shops in the time available to them in an average work day, plus it would keep them healthy.’
Not surprisingly, Fleming’s recent and well-received book is called Cycle Space. Architecture & Urban Design in the Age of the Bicycle. At the International Cargo Bike Festival he will speak on Saturday on the subject of How architects can help increase cargo bike use.

On Sunday Steven Fleming will have another presentation entitled:  "I want to find a consortium of visionaries who will crowd fund the construction of large housing blocks designed to make leaving home on your bike as obvious as washing your hands after going to the toilet. Just as people with hand basins inside suffer less infectious disease, people who live in buildings that make you want to ride everywhere will suffer less chronic disease."

Some notes to swot up on in advance of the Cycle Logistics Federation Conference: 'Bicycle Urbanism in a Free Market'.

On monday 14 April Steven will present a guest lecture at Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam on "Amsterdam cycling in international perspective: an actual culture or just a way to get around?"
Discussion with Lucas Harms, Mark te Brömmelstroet, Pete Jordan and Marc "Amsterdamize" van Woudenberg.
Click HERE for more information.

http://www.cyclocadeau.nl/product/cycle-space/
Click on the cover to purchase the book

   www.cycle-space.com