Bike planning for equity

This paper focuses on issues in urban and regional bike planning that contribute towards inequity. This paper offers a study on the definition of equity and studies how equity relates to urban and regional planning particularly in transportation issues. A review of existing literature offers examples of how policy, ordinances, design, infrastructure, and the planning process affect marginalized people. This review revealed that many common elements of bike planning might negatively affect marginalized people. Provided are suggestions on creating more equitable bike planning including GIS methods to study environmental justice, an example of an equitable complete streets ordinance, and general recommendations for improving bike planning. Urban and regional planners may use this thesis to examine their bike planning practices and use the recommendations in this paper to create a more equitable practice. While this paper offers many recommendations, further research is needed on many aspects of improving the bike planning practice including relationships with land use, public safety issues, and bike share equity among many other issues.