Experience by bike

Abstract: This essay sets out to contribute to a discussion about whether the use of bicycles can work as a tool for place experience, and as an element to greater understanding of place and integration. The research takes place in Malmö, and the aim is to open up for discussion whether the social factor should be added alongside ecological and economical factors when planning for bicycles. The theoretical framework consists of movement patterns and its constraints, the creation of/and experience of place. By using a mixed method approach, the reader is given both statistical data of movement patterns in the city collected with the rental bicycle system “Malmö By Bike”, as well as an ethnographic study of some of the most and least visited places with the mentioned bicycle system. The discussion of the results leads back to the theoretical framework and target points when trying to point out patterns of the most and least used places. Resulting factors were that in the most visited places, people were using the streets in a structured way. For the least visited places to go by bicycle, one striking factor was that these were in many cases work places, where people not working there have no reason to go unless being invited. The essay finishes with opening up for discussion, whether the use of bicycles could potentially have positive social outputs for a city’s inhabitants, when used as a tool for experience.