Cycling is an essential component in making our cities more sustainable and livable. Numerous factors are shaping a city’s cycling culture. However, it is usually hard to grasp the term ‘culture’, not to mention trying to define it. This presentation offers a glimpse into which factors and stakeholders shape a cycling culture based on a master’s thesis completed at Aalto University in the autumn of 2023.

The case study for this thesis is the City of Oulu, commonly recognised as the winter cycling capital of Finland. Usually, Oulu’s success is traced back to its well-planned cycling infrastructure with a separated cycling lane network established in the 60s, alongside reliable and well-planned winter maintenance providing service 24/7 on the main routes during winter. However, what is interesting about Oulu is the fact that winter cycling is considered a convenient everyday means of transportation. Instead of the classic portrayal of a ‘sporty, tough, mostly male’ winter cyclist, the City of Oulu has succeeded in creating a picture of cycling being something fun, a social activity, for everyone and everyday purposes.

The idea for the CRB conference is to transform the framework from winter cycling to cycling culture in general. It includes a mixture of theoretical background, exploring the importance of including culture as an aspect of cycling planning, and practical insights into which factors and stakeholders shape the cycling culture. The main aim of the presentation is to provide food for thought/action on how to shape your city’s cycling culture.