While cycling is widely recognized for its contributions to mobility, health, and sustainability, its economic dimensions remain underexplored. This project investigates the diverse economic worlds and livelihoods that revolve around the bicycle in Bogotá, Colombia – the city with the highest bicycle commuting rate in Latin America and home to the world’s largest Open Streets event, the Ciclovía.
From bicycle manufacturing and repair to delivery services, street vending, and cycling instruction, the project explores how cycling-related economies support inclusive urban development, particularly for women and low-income groups. An interdisciplinary team from the University of Toronto and Universidad de los Andes is using field observations, focus groups, and surveys to examine how these everyday cycling economies intersect with gender, informality, and urban inequality.
Through a bilingual scoping review, field research, and collaborative South-North knowledge mobilization, this research will offer new insights for scholars, policymakers, and community organizations on how to harness cycling economies to advance urban equity and sustainability in cities across the Global South and North.
Sergio Montero (PI), Associate Professor, Department of Human Geography & Director, IIESL, University of Toronto Scarborough
Co-PIs
- Fernando Calderón-Figueroa (Co-PI), Assistant Professor, Department of Human Geography, University of Toronto Scarborough
- Paola Castañeda (Co-PI), Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and History, Universidad de los Andes
Collaborators
- Ignacio Tiznado-Aitken, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography & Planning, University of Toronto
- Lorena Soto, Director, Fundación Movilidad Activa, Bogotá, Colombia
- Claudio Sarmiento-Casas, Mexico-based early career researcher
- Julián Alfonso, Bogotá-based early career researcher
