Reference
Michels, C., & Steyaert, C. (2020). Bicycle as a mediating technology of organization. In T. Beyes, R. Holt & C. Pias (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Media, Technology, and Organization Studies (pp. 34-42). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Publication type
Chapter in Edited Book
Abstract
The bicycle is an almost iconic study artefact that assembles the technological with the social, the organizational with the cultural, and the geographical with the political. This chapter traces how the bicycle was invented and transformed through a variety of uses, and how it increasingly is considered a ‘vehicle’ for ecological transformation through challenging urban affects. Instigated by technological developments and the integration of social media, bicycles are inscribed with new possibility and strong hope to realize sustainable scripts and policies. This anticipation of a true pedalling revolution implies that we all become ‘velocipedes’ again—using our feet to gain speed. Keywords: bicycle, interpretive flexibility, sustainability, city life, affect, Ivan Illich, Olafur Eliasson
Persons
Organizational Units
- Institute of Architecture and Planning
- Architectural Design Theory
- Sustainable Urban Design