The 20 most bike-friendly cities on the planet, ranked.

As trends come and go, simple design stands the test of time. And nowhere is that more evident these days than in urban mobility. With everything from autonomous cars to dockless pogosticks vying to be the next big thing, the bicycle continues to shine as the most efficient, practical, and reliable solution to urban mobility. Many cities are taking note, building infrastructure and expanding facilities to accommodate the bicycle as an everyday mode of transportation while improving urban livability.

Ranking the world's best biking cities.

Some more so than others.

To track the pro-cycling efforts and initiatives taken by cities around the world, we present the Copenhagenize Index, a comprehensive and holistic ranking of the world’s most bicycle-friendly cities. For this fifth edition of the Index, published biennially since 2011, we have evaluated and ranked over 115 cities from around the world using 14 parameters that focus on ambition, culture, and streetscape design. (Read about our methodology here.)

Read the story from Wired magazine - “The 20 most bike-friendly cities on the planet, ranked."

We must plan the driverless city to avoid being hostage to the technology revolution.

Trials of autonomous cars and buses have begun on the streets of Australian cities. Communications companies are moving to deploy the lasers, cameras and centimetre-perfect GPS that will enable a vehicle to navigate the streets of your town or city without a driver.

More than 6,000 passengers have travelled on the RAC’s
driverless electric shuttle bus during a recent trial in South Perth.

Most research and commentary is telling us how the new machines will work, but not how they might shape our cities. The talk is of the benefits of new shared transport economies, but these new technologies will shape our built environment in ways that are not yet fully understood. There’s every chance that, if mismanaged, driverless technologies will entrench the ills of car dependency.

As with Uber and the taxi industry, public sector planners and regulators will be forced to respond to the anger of those displaced by the new products the IT and automobile industries will bring to the market. But can we afford to wait?

Read the piece on The Conversation - “We must plan the driverless city to avoid being hostage to the technology revolution.”