Cultural Evolution

The evolution and adoption of the bicycle is an interesting story, especially when analyzed from a design anthropology perspective. There’s a reason Pinch and Bijker chose to use that as the illustrative example in their paper “The social construction of facts and artifacts” . While most traditional science books will talk about how the evolution of the bicycle was a largely linear process, driven by a single inventor toiling away in a shed, the truth is that the evolution was a complex sociological churn, which involved promoters, detractors, competition, parallel changes and socio-cultural norms. These developments both influenced the design, development adoption and appropriation of the bicycle, but were in turn, influenced by its popularity.

Today we're seeing a new battle being fought over bicycles and what largely superseded them as a mode of transport: cars. Cars played a major part in the development of infrastructure and urban environments through the 20th century, especially in America (stroads anyone?) As we've understood the environmental impacts of transportation, as well as the social impacts of urban sprawl,(aka the Drosscape) we've been seeing a renewed interest in bicycles; not just as a mode of transportation, but as an important factor in urban planning. Bicycle lanes, bike sharing and urban planning at large have been the focus of attention and debate in recent years. Not the mention the growth of cargo bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters, which bring with them their own controversy and issues. Though these concepts are not new (the 15 minute city concept originates from the 1961 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs), much like the debates, controversy and cultural revolution that bicycles spawned in the late 1800's these new inventions and the broader concepts that surround them, come with their promoters and detractors, debates, controversy and impacts on public life. As a whole, this encapsulates many of the facets that Pinch and Bijker referred to in the Social Construction of Facts and Artifacts.