Future Now
The IFTF Blog
Intelligent Bike Design in Copenhagen
The city as a persuasive technology is a theme I plan to return to throughout the Future of Persuasion's research process. By raising or lowering the threshold for certain activities, our surroundings can substantially influence our behaviors, and in turn can shape the way that we use our cities.
Writing on the bike culture blog Copenhagenzine, cycling advocate Mikael Colville-Andersen often chronicles intelligent infrastructural and design choices that impact the daily commute of Copenhagen's approximately 38,000 daily cyclists. Recently he has pointed to a number of exceptional developments related to Copenhagen's Hej Cyklist program -- a behavioral campaign that aims to raise the safety sills of the city's cycling population through non-invasive marketing intelligent design choices that encourage cycling as an alternative to driving.
One such development is the installation of foot rails at intersections around the city. Mikael writes:
"Pling. All of sudden this little bicycle-friendly detail showed up on the urban landscape in Copenhagen one day. I'm quite sure that very few people have noticed it, except for the people who roll up next to it. Which is the point, really.
Intelligent Bike Design in Copenhagen
I'm talking about the railings that the man is holding onto and resting his foot on. It's located on a little traffic island on which cyclists who are heading straight on wait. The City of Copenhagen has implemented this double railing simply as a convenience for the cyclists who stop here. A high railing to grasp with your hand and a foot railing for putting your foot up, if that's what you fancy doing. Either way you can also use the railing to push off when the light changes."
By making streets more bike friendly, through small but thoughtful improvements like this railing, cities can encourage behaviors that have positive impacts on their populations' well being. Subtle design choices can be made to tip the scales towards favoring personally and socially beneficial behaviors (biking) over behaviors that are more convenient, less time consuming, and offer a greater degree of autonomy (driving). I'll be keeping an eye out for more examples of persuading Copenhageners (Copenhagenites?) to bike, but I'd love to hear of any similarly light-weight enticements for good behavior in cities.