Bicycle Parking for a Healthier Planet

By: David Smith

In a previous post, we discussed the first of three recent winners of Climate CoLab contests. Climate CoLab, created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) Center for Collective Intelligence, is the crowd-sourcing platform designed “to harness the collective intelligence of thousands of people from all around the world to address global climate change.” Today, we look at the second Climate CoLab contest winner, this one in the category, “Designing High-Density Urban Bike Parking.” Participants were asked, "Is there a design solution that provides high-density, accessible, cost-effective bicycle parking in the urban context?"  

The Flycycle Bike Rack

 The winning design, submitted by Julia Hanson, a former urban planning student, and Jeff Olinger, an architect, built on previous rack designs to address the specific conditions of Cambridge’s Kendall Square. The team’s flycycle bike rack design took into consideration factors such as cost of materials, usable locations in the area, as well as the city’s bike rack regulations. Additional factors, such as compatibility with the square’s architecture, were also considered.  

Fit for the Environment

 The flycycle rack holds two bicycles on each frame in less space than the typical lollipop rack or inverted U rack, making it well suited to high density areas. Although Kendall Square offers many available locations for bike parking, these areas often disappear after a heavy snowfall. The flycycle bike rack cleverly elevates one side to lift an attached bike above a six-inch snowfall. The design also fits well with that of existing buildings, acting much like “attractive street furniture.” 

  

The Real Contest Winners

 The ultimate winners in the Climate CoLab series will be the inhabitants of our planet. Climate CoLab breaks down complex problems of climate change into smaller, more manageable ones, before asking its 130,000 community members to submit proposals. MIT plans to piece together the winning solutions to address the much broader issues impacting climate change. Anyone can join or participate in the process.  If you’d like to learn more about Climate CoLab contests, or how to become a member of the community, visit the Climate CoLab website.