Dissertation
(Re)defining space: cycling practice, risk and agency in Philadelphia
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Sep 2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000684
Abstract
(Re)Defining Space: Cycling Practice, Risk and Agency in Philadelphia is an ethnographic examination of the practice of cycling and how it is related to perceptions of risk, safety and agency in Philadelphia. The work begins by offering a personal account of learning to ride a bike in Philadelphia that is maintained as a thread throughout the entire work. The dissertation proceeds to discuss the infrastructural changes that have been taking place in relationship to cycling advocacy since the 1970's. It describes the cycling infrastructure found in Philadelphia, traffic patterns cyclists encounter and infrastructural changes made to support cycling in the city. Understanding that Philadelphia cyclists often undergo rites of passage, I show how these cyclist rites of passage are their way of claiming the rights to the city. I provide a context for what it means for cyclists to feel safe or experience risk and raise questions about whether or not Philadelphia is a dangerous city to ride a bicycle in. The work also offers a theoretical account of agency and infrastructure where how cyclists develop agency and how infrastructure acts on cyclists is discussed. Some of the struggles that cyclists face are brought to the forefront, as are the activism of bicycling advocacy groups in Philadelphia and the city's commitment to a Vision Zero policy, all work together to change transportation infrastructure in Philadelphia. Finally, the dissertation concludes with a discussion of cycling as a social practice through various social bike rides regularly held in the metropolitan region.
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Details
- Title
- (Re)defining space
- Creators
- Greg Jacob Lang
- Contributors
- Mary Ebeling (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- 252 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Arts and Sciences; Communication, Culture, and Media; Communication; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991014695146804721