Library Guides: Justice and Equity in Transportation and Urbanism: Active Transportation

Articles and Books about Justice and Equity in Active Transportation

Active transportation - usually walking or biking - encompasses transportation modes that are physically active and were traditionally non motorized. Active transportation often intersects with issues of public health, race, gender, enforcement, and safety.

Readings on justice and equity in Active Transportation

Adkins, A., Makarewicz, C., Scanze, M., Ingram, M., & Luhr, G. (2017). Contextualizing Walkability: Do Relationships Between Built Environments and Walking Vary by Socioeconomic Context? Journal of the American Planning Association, 83(3), 296–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2017.1322527

Agyeman, J. (2020, May 27). Poor and black “invisible cyclists” need to be part of post-pandemic transport planning too. The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/poor-and-black-invisible-cyclists-need-to-be-part-of-post-pandemic-transport-planning-too-139145 (BIPOC author)

Badger, E. (2020, July 20). The Pandemic Has Pushed Aside City Planning Rules. But to Whose Benefit? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/upshot/pandemic-city-planning-inequality.html

Barajas, J. M. (2018). Not all crashes are created equal: Associations between the built environment and disparities in bicycle collisions. Journal of Transport and Land Use, 11(1), 865–882. https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2018.1145 (BIPOC author)

Barajas, J. M. (2019). Perceptions, People, and Places: Influences on Cycling for Latino Immigrants and Implications for Equity. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 0739456X19864714. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X19864714 (BIPOC author)

Barajas, J. M. (2020). Supplemental infrastructure: How community networks and immigrant identity influence cycling. Transportation, 47, 1251–1274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-018-9955-7 (BIPOC author)

Biehl, A., Chen, Y., Sanabria-Véaz, K., Uttal, D., & Stathopoulos, A. (2019). Where does active travel fit within local community narratives of mobility space and place? Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 123, 269–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2018.10.023 (BIPOC author)

Blickstein, S., & Brown, C. (2016). Bicycling Among Black and Latino Women. Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center. http://njbikeped.org/portfolio/bicycling-among-black-and-latino-women/ (BIPOC author)

Braun, L. M. (2018). Geographies of (Dis)Advantage in Walking and Cycling: Perspectives on Equity and Social Justice in Planning for Active Transportation in U.S. Cities [Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]. https://search.proquest.com/docview/2059295107/abstract/D46E0C983E804F33PQ/1

Brown, C. (2016, September). Fear: A Silent Barrier to Bicycling in Black and Brown Communities. ITE Journal, 86(9), 22–24. https://nacto.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2016_Brown_Fear-A-Silent-Barrier-to-Bicycling-in-Black-and-Hispanic-Communities.pdf (BIPOC author)

Brown, C., Deka, D., Jain, A., Grover, A., & Xie, Q. (2019). Evaluating spatial equity in bike share systems. https://doi.org/10.7282/T3-CS30-AD47 (BIPOC author)

Butler, T. (2020, June 9). Why We Must Talk About Race When We Talk About Bikes. Bicycling. https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a32783551/cycling-talk-fight-racism/ (BIPOC author)

Ann Niles Active Transportation Lecture featuring Tamika Butler. (2017, November 8). https://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/events/ann-niles-active-transportation-lecture-2017 (BIPOC author)

Castillo-Manzano, J. I., & Sánchez-Braza, A. (2013). Can anyone hate the bicycle? The hunt for an optimal local transportation policy to encourage bicycle usage. Environmental Politics, 22(6), 1010–1028. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2012.740936

Coughenour, C., Clark, S., Singh, A., Claw, E., Abelar, J., & Huebner, J. (2017). Examining racial bias as a potential factor in pedestrian crashes. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 98, 96–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2016.09.031

Field, A., Wild, K., Woodward, A., Macmillan, A., & Mackie, H. (2018). Encountering bikelash: Experiences and lessons from New Zealand communities. Journal of Transport & Health, 11, 130–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2018.10.003

García, I., & Khan, S. (2018). Active Transportation and Perceptions of Safety: A Case Study of a Regional Trail and a Transit Corridor in Salt Lake City, Utah. Focus: The Journal of Planning Practice & Education, 14(1), 37–43. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Active-Transportation-and-Perceptions-of-Safety%3A-A-Zambrana-Khan/4c9485309d1a65776583d77189665ec982ff57b6 (BIPOC author)

Goddard, T., Kahn, K. B., & Adkins, A. (2015). Racial bias in driver yielding behavior at crosswalks. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 33, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2015.06.002

Golub, A., Hoffman, M. L., Lugo, A. E., & Sandoval, G. F. (Eds.). (2016). Bicycle Justice and Urban Transformation: Biking for All? Routledge. (BIPOC author)

Hoffmann, M. L. (2016). Bike Lanes are White Lanes: Bicycle Advocacy and Urban Planning. University of Nebraska Press.

Kim, K., & Garcia, I. (2021). Active Commute to School, Physical Activity, and Health of Hispanic High School Students in the United States. In D. Oviedo, N. Villamizar Duarte, & A. Marcela Ardila (Eds.), Urban Mobility and Social Equity in Latin American Cities: Evidences, Concepts, and Methods for more Inclusive Cities (pp. 145–164). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/s2044-994120200000012011 (BIPOC author)

Kravetz, D., & Noland, R. B. (2012). Spatial Analysis of Income Disparities in Pedestrian Safety in Northern New Jersey: Is There an Environmental Justice Issue? Transportation Research Record, 2320(1), 10–17. https://doi.org/10.3141/2320-02

Law, S. F., & Karnilowicz, W. (2015). ‘In Our Country it’s Just Poor People who Ride a Bike’: Place, Displacement and Cycling in Australia. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 25(4), 296–309. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2215

Lee, R. J., Sener, I. N., & Jones, S. N. (2017). Understanding the role of equity in active transportation planning in the United States. Transport Reviews, 37(2), 211–226. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2016.1239660

Lubitow, A. (2017). Narratives of Marginalized Cyclists: Understanding Obstacles to Utilitarian Cycling Among Women and Minorities in Portland, OR (NITC-SS-994). Transportation Research and Education Center. https://doi.org/10.15760/trec.171

Lubitow, A., & Miller, T. R. (2013). Contesting Sustainability: Bikes, Race, and Politics in Portlandia. Environmental Justice, 6(4), 121–126. https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2013.0018

Lugo, A. E. (2018). Bicycle/race: Transportation, culture & resistance. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=2182760 (BIPOC author)

Lusk, A. C., Anastasio, A., Shaffer, N., Wu, J., & Li, Y. (2017). Biking practices and preferences in a lower income, primarily minority neighborhood: Learning what residents want. Preventive Medicine Reports, 7, 232–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2017.01.006

Lusk, A. C., Willett, W. C., Morris, V., Byner, C., & Li, Y. (2019). Bicycle Facilities Safest from Crime and Crashes: Perceptions of Residents Familiar with Higher Crime/Lower Income Neighborhoods in Boston. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(3), 484. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16030484

Maciag, M. (n.d.). Pedestrians Dying at Disproportionate Rates in America’s Poorer Neighborhoods. Retrieved August 12, 2020, from https://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/gov-pedestrian-deaths-analysis.html

McCullough, S. R., Lugo, A., & Stokkum, R. van. (2019). Making Bicycling Equitable: Lessons from Sociocultural Research. https://doi.org/10.7922/G22R3PWK (BIPOC author)

McNeil, N., Broach, J., & Dill, J. (2018, February). Breaking Barriers to Bike Share: Lessons on Bike Share Equity. ITE Journal, 88(2). https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ITE/G89434_ITE_Feb2018/index.php?startid=31#/p/30

McNeil, N., Dill, J., MacArthur, J., Broach, J., Howland, S., & Howland, S. (2017). Breaking Barriers to Bike Share: Insights from Residents of Traditionally Underserved Neighborhoods. Portland State University. https://doi.org/10.15760/trec.176

Roberts, J. D., Mandic, S., Fryer, C. S., Brachman, M. L., & Ray, R. (2019). Between Privilege and Oppression: An Intersectional Analysis of Active Transportation Experiences Among Washington D.C. Area Youth. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(8), 1313. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16081313

Roe, D. (2020, July 27). Black Cyclists Are Stopped More Often Than Whites, Police Data Shows. Bicycling. https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a33383540/cycling-while-black-police/

Sanders, T., Rabinowitz, K., & Conarck, B. (2017, November 16). Walking While Black. ProPublica. https://features.propublica.org/walking-while-black/jacksonville-pedestrian-violations-racial-profiling/ (BIPOC author)

Siemiatycki, M., Smith, M., & Walks, A. (2016). The politics of bicycle lane implementation: The case of Vancouver’s Burrard Street Bridge. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 10(3), 225–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2014.890767

Stehlin, J. (2014). Regulating Inclusion: Spatial Form, Social Process, and the Normalization of Cycling Practice in the USA. Mobilities, 9(1), 21–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2013.784527

Stehlin, J. G. (2019). Cyclescapes of the Unequal City. https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/cyclescapes-of-the-unequal-city

Steinbach, R., Green, J., Datta, J., & Edwards, P. (2011). Cycling and the city: A case study of how gendered, ethnic and class identities can shape healthy transport choices. Social Science & Medicine, 72(7), 1123–1130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.01.033

Sulaiman, S. (2016, September 20). Justice-Oriented Mobility Advocates to “Untokenize” Active Transportation Movement at November Convening. Streetsblog Los Angeles. https://la.streetsblog.org/2016/09/20/justice-oriented-mobility-advocates-to-untokenize-active-transportation-movement-at-november-convening/ (BIPOC author)

Thomas, D. (2020, June 8). ‘Safe Streets’ Are Not Safe for Black Lives. Bloomberg.Com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-08/-safe-streets-are-not-safe-for-black-lives (BIPOC author)

Transportation Research and Education Center. (2019). Equity in Bike Share Research. https://trec.pdx.edu/research/bikeshare

Vreugdenhil, R., & Williams, S. (2013). White line fever: A sociotechnical perspective on the contested implementation of an urban bike lane network. Area, 45(3), 283–291. https://doi.org/10.1111/area.12029

Wild, K., Woodward, A., Field, A., & Macmillan, A. (2018). Beyond ‘bikelash’: Engaging with community opposition to cycle lanes. Mobilities, 13(4), 505–519. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2017.1408950

Zavestoski, S., & Agyeman, J. (2015). Incomplete streets: Processes, practices and possibilities. https://www.routledge.com/Incomplete-Streets-Processes-practices-and-possibilities/Zavestoski-Agyeman/p/book/9780415725873 (BIPOC author)

E-Books on Active Transportation, Justice and Equity

Here are some of the e-books version of some of the books listed above.

Bicycle Justice and Urban Transformation by Aaron Golub (Editor); Adonia E. Lugo (Editor); Melody L. Hoffmann (Editor); Gerardo F. Sandoval (Editor)
ISBN: 9781138950245
Publication Date: 2016-07-12
As bicycle commuting grows in the United States, the profile of the white, middle-class cyclist has emerged. This stereotype evolves just as investments in cycling play an increasingly important role in neighborhood transformations. However, despite stereotypes, the cycling public is actually quite diverse, with the greatest share falling into the lowest income categories. Bicycle Justice and Urban Transformation demonstrates that for those with privilege, bicycling can be liberatory, a lifestyle choice, whereas for those surviving at the margins, cycling is not a choice, but an often oppressive necessity. Ignoring these "invisible" cyclists skews bicycle improvements towards those with choices. This book argues that it is vital to contextualize bicycling within a broader social justice framework if investments are to serve all street users equitably. "Bicycle justice" is an inclusionary social movement based on furthering material equity and the recognition that qualitative differences matter. This book illustrates equitable bicycle advocacy, policy and planning. In synthesizing the projects of critical cultural studies, transportation justice and planning, the book reveals the relevance of social justice to public and community-driven investments in cycling. This book will interest professionals, advocates, academics and students in the fields of transportation planning, urban planning, community development, urban geography, sociology and policy.
Bicycle/race : transportation, culture & resistance by Adonia E. Lugo
ISBN: 9781621069980
Publication Date: 2018
Cyclescapes of the Unequal City by John G. Stehlin
ISBN: 9781452960418
Publication Date: 2019-10-01
A critical look at the political economy of urban bicycle infrastructure in the United States Not long ago, bicycling in the city was considered a radical statement or a last resort, and few cyclists braved the inhospitable streets of most American cities. Today, however, the urban cyclist represents progress and the urban "renaissance." City leaders now undertake ambitious new bicycle infrastructure plans and bike share schemes to promote the environmental, social, and economic health of the city and its residents. Cyclescapes of the Unequal City contextualizes and critically examines this new wave of bicycling in American cities, exploring how bicycle infrastructure planning has become a key symbol of--and site of conflict over--uneven urban development. John G. Stehlin traces bicycling's rise in popularity as a key policy solution for American cities facing the environmental, economic, and social contradictions of the previous century of sprawl. Using in-depth case studies from San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Detroit, he argues that the mission of bicycle advocacy has converged with, and reshaped, the urban growth machine around a model of livable, environmentally friendly, and innovation-based urban capitalism. While advocates envision a more sustainable city for all, the deployment of bicycle infrastructure within the framework of the neoliberal city in many ways intensifies divisions along lines of race, class, and space. Cyclescapes of the Unequal City speaks to a growing interest in bicycling as an urban economic and environmental strategy, its role in the politics of gentrification, and efforts to build more diverse coalitions of bicycle advocates. Grounding its analysis in both regional political economy and neighborhood-based ethnography, this book ultimately uses the bicycle as a lens to view major shifts in today's American city.
Bike Lanes Are White Lanes by Melody L. Hoffmann
ISBN: 9780803288225
Publication Date: 2016-07-01
The number of bicyclists is increasing in the United States, especially among the working class and people of color. In contrast to the demographics of bicyclists in the United States, advocacy for bicycling has focused mainly on the interests of white upwardly mobile bicyclists, leading to neighborhood conflicts and accusations of racist planning. In Bike Lanes Are White Lanes, scholar Melody L. Hoffmann argues that the bicycle has varied cultural meaning as a "rolling signifier." That is, the bicycle's meaning changes in different spaces, with different people, and in different cultures. The rolling signification of the bicycle contributes to building community, influences gentrifying urban planning, and upholds systemic race and class barriers. In this study of three prominent U.S. cities--Milwaukee, Portland, and Minneapolis--Hoffmann examines how the burgeoning popularity of urban bicycling is trailed by systemic issues of racism, classism, and displacement. From a pro-cycling perspective, Bike Lanes Are White Lanes highlights many problematic aspects of urban bicycling culture and its advocacy as well as positive examples of people trying earnestly to bring their community together through bicycling.
Incomplete Streets by Stephen Zavestoski (Editor); Julian Agyeman (Editor)
ISBN: 9780415725866
Publication Date: 2014-08-26
The 'Complete Streets' concept and movement in urban planning and policy has been hailed by many as a revolution that aims to challenge the auto-normative paradigm by reversing the broader effects of an urban form shaped by the logic of keeping automobiles moving. By enabling safe access for all users, Complete Streets promise to make cities more walkable and livable and at the same time more sustainable. This book problematizes the Complete Streets concept by suggesting that streets should not be thought of as merely physical spaces, but as symbolic and social spaces. When important social and symbolic narratives are missing from the discourse and practice of Complete Streets, what actually results are incomplete streets. The volume questions whether the ways in which complete streets narratives, policies, plans and efforts are envisioned and implemented might be systematically reproducing many of the urban spatial and social inequalities and injustices that have characterized cities for the last century or more. From critiques of a "mobility bias" rooted in the neoliberal foundations of the Complete Streets concept, to concerns about resulting environmental gentrification, the chapters in Incomplete Streets variously call for planning processes that give voice to the historically marginalized and, more broadly, that approach streets as dynamic, fluid and public social places. This interdisciplinary book is aimed at students, researchers and professionals in the fields of urban geography, environmental studies, urban planning and policy, transportation planning, and urban sociology.

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Justice and Equity in Transportation and Urbanism

Transportation Librarian

Articles and Books about Justice and Equity in Active Transportation