There are diverse ways that bicycles can be present in public space – at events, in education, street art and last but not least – infrastructure. Speakers in the “Public Space Realm” session highlighted the connection between bicycles and inclusion, and public participation.

MolemBIKE! started from the concept that, in a context like Molenbeek, the bicycle can be employed as a mean of social change. molemBIKE focuses on gender disparity in bike usage, in Brussels and especially in the area of Molenbeek. Edoardo Luppari presented a series of bike lessons launched in October 2017 for women mostly from Molenbeek and a street festival (third edition on 26 May 2018).

Zeina Hawa’s talk examined how public art in a city’s streets can act as a stimulant for travel behaviour change, a ‘primer’ that drives more effective action. In Beirut, Lebanon 83% of all trips are made by car. Pedestrian and cycle-friendly infrastructure is lacking, as planning prioritised the car for the last 60 years. In consequence the city has a huge congestion problem. Zeina showed examples from the work of the Chain Effect, an organisation that uses bicycle-themed participatory street art to stir a conversation about mobility. She considers murals a cost-effective way to reach target audience. “If you rode a bike, you would be home by now” reads one of them, clearly visible for drivers stuck in traffic jam.

Sayuri Oliveira, president of Ciclo Urbano association, demonstrated the potential of cycling network’s expansion in Aracaju (Brazil). Aracaju is a medium-sized city, with 640,000 inhabitants, and currently has 72 kilometres of bicycle paths and lanes. The challenge is to connect isolated sections of cycle infrastructure, and reach other regions of the city to create a coherent network. Marking cycle routes on traffic calmed streets could be a provisional solution, according to Sayuri.