While smart cycling innovations promise to increase cycling’s modal share in the (peri-)urban transport system even further, little is understood of their impact or cost and benefit.
Smart Cycling Futures (SCF) is a research program that is funded by the Dutch organisation for scientific research (NWO). The focus of the research are innovations in the –broadly defined- bicycle system in the Netherlands. To develop rich understanding of this, different academic domains are involved. Local Living Labs have to ensure that the research projects are well connected with practical problems and solutions.
The Smart Cycling Futures (SCF) program investigates how smart cycling innovations including ICT-enabled cycling innovations, infrastructures, and social innovations like new business models contribute to more resilient and live-able Dutch urban regions. Cycling innovations benefit urban regions in terms of accessibility, equality, health, live-ability, and decreasing CO2-emissions when socially well embedded. To facilitate a transition to a sustainable future that respond to pressing issues, the SCF research project runs urban living labs in close collaboration with key stakeholders to develop trans-disciplinary insights in the conditions needed for upscaling smart-cycling initiatives. Each living lab involving real-world experiments responds to the urgent challenges that urban regions and their stakeholders face today.
The consortium is transdisciplinary. This means that next to acdemic research staff (PhD, Postdoc and junior researchers) several Dutch regions and cities invested time and money in the research. They also bring in the relevant policy challenges that arise and the capacity to engage with concrete Living Lab organisations in a real-world context. Next to that, the project actively engages with a variety of upcoming innovations that promise concrete solutions, ranging from new types of infrastructure to new smartphone apps and services.
SCF offers a platform to connect these streams of problems, policies and solutions in order to stimulated windows of opportunity (include or refer to this figure). If parties from these different streams find a match, this allows for concrete testing in a Living Lab environment. The platform materializes as several consortium meetings each year of the project.
SCF does not select specific innovations to be included in the research, but offers a stimulating environment to create synergies. Also, it does not provide financial support for pilots and experiments, but stimulates and fosters the realization of Living Labs in the local context of the participating cities and regions.
Researchers
Rob Raven, Utrecht University, project leader
Hugo van der Steenhoven, procesmanager, HuGoCyling
Marco te Brömmelstroet, University of Amsterdam
Matthew Bruno, Eindhoven University of Technology
Jacco Farla, Utrecht University
Jeroen de Jong, Utrecht University
Hugo Kampen, Hogeschool Windesheim
Sukanya Krishnamurthy, Eindhoven University of Technology
George Liu, Eindhoven University of Technology
Samuel Nello Deakin, University of Amsterdam
Anna Nikolaeva, University of Amsterdam
Ruth Oldenziel, Eindhoven University of Technology
Marcus Popkema, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences
Frank Schipper, Eindhoven University of Technology
Friso de Vor, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences
Arnoud van Waes, Utrecht University
Pieter van Wesemael, Eindhoven University of Technology
Societal partners
Municipality of Amsterdam
Transport Authority of Amsterdam
Province of Brabant
Municipality of Eindhoven
Province of Overijssel
Municipality of Utrecht
Province of Utrecht
Municipality of Zwolle