Monday, February 9, 2015 12:00 pm
-
12:00 pm
EST (GMT -05:00)
Of
the
thesis
entitled: Cycle
City
:
Generating
a
Cycling
Culture
in
Toronto
Abstract:
As
Toronto’s
population
continues
to
grow,
the
city
is
faced
with
many
new
challenges
related
to
the
quality
of
urban
life.
Central
to
overcoming
these
challenges
is
a
rethinking
of
urban
mobility.
As
the
region’s
population
grows,
city
streets
have
become
ever
more
congested,
and
commute
times
have
increased
exponentially.
The
city
and
the
region’s
governments
have
called
for
an
end
to
sprawling
development
and
initiated
a
policy
of
densification.
This
new
paradigm
allows
the
bicycle
to
play
a
key
role
in
making
Toronto
a
better
place
in
which
to
live
and
travel,
assisting
in
overcoming
the
limitations
of
the
current
automotive-dominated
transportation
network.
Often,
the
Toronto
cyclist
feels
like
an
outsider,
wrestling
for
space
amongst
the
automobiles.
In
order
for
cycling
to
have
a
major
influence
on
the
quality
of
life
in
the
city,
a
cycling
culture
must
become
much
more
prevalent
amongst
Torontonians.
This
culture
can
only
be
achieved
through
a
redefinition
of
the
cycling
experience,
transforming
bicycling
into
the
most
efficient
and
exciting
mode
of
transportation
within
the
city.
How
can
Toronto
build
upon
the
cycling
support,
which
has
developed
in
the
downtown
core,
to
make
cycling
a
fundamental
part
of
the
transportation
network
throughout
the
city?
As
illustrated
in
the
attempted
implementation
of
Toronto’s
2001
bike
plan,
a
uniform
strategy
for
cycle
promotion
across
all
reaches
of
the
city
is
ineffective
in
generating
the
support
necessary
to
instigate
significant
infrastructural
and
behavioural
change.
In
contrast,
this
thesis
seeks
to
understand
cycling
patterns
and
preferences
in
Toronto
and
to
use
this
information
to
target
the
design
of
strategically
selected
cycling
projects.
The
role
of
design
is
explored
as
a
catalyst
for
behavioural
change
and
the
rise
of
a
cycling
culture.
A
new
cycling
corridor
is
proposed,
linking
the
forthcoming
Eglinton
cycle
track
with
the
downtown
core,
making
cycling
much
more
accessible
for
midtown
Toronto
residents.
This
corridor
seeks
to
combine
infrastructure
and
amenities,
creating
new
programmatic
pairings
which
elevate
the
image
of
cycling
within
the
city.
The
route
acts
as
a
catalyst
for
the
growth
of
a
cycling
culture
and
expansion
of
the
city-wide
cycling
network.
The examining committee is as follows:
Supervisor:
Committee Members:
Maya Przybylski, University of Waterloo
Mona
El
Khafif,University
of
Waterloo
Andrew
Levitt, University
of
Waterloo
External Reader:
Sibel Sarper, City of Toronto
The
committee
has
been
approved
as
authorized
by
the
Graduate
Studies
Committee.
The
Defence
Examination
will
take
place:
Monday
February
9,
2015
12:00PM
Architecture
Room 2026
A
copy
of
the
thesis
is
available
for
perusal
in
ARC
2106A.