Keywords

Four buildings are depicted on a poster titled 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.
The merged 3D cubes are depicted on a poster titled 9 industry, innovation, and infrastructure.

1 Sustainable Transportation and Open Mapping for SDGs

As in other cities worldwide, in Medellín, the externalities of transportation are manifested in increasingly frequent periods of high levels of air pollution, congestion, travel times, costs, and road incidents. These problems, which have both local and global characteristics and impacts, must be approached from an integrating vision considering their multiple spatial and temporal relationships (Anderies et al. 2013).

Sustainable mobility is an essential element in territorial planning and applied to the urban context it is a strategic tool to break the transportation vicious circle and disassociate population and urban growth from the pressures exerted on the social-environment system. Cycling is a mobility option that, in addition to promoting an active lifestyle, directly influences the fulfillment of 11 of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) stipulated by the United Nations Development Program (WCA 2016). We highlight the need to promote the use of the bicycle as an urban transport mode in the city of Medellín (Colombia) and its Metropolitan Area through the SIGenBici project, a collaborative cycling infrastructure mapping project supported by the use of free and open-source software (FOSS) and the generation of open data. In particular, our work is aimed at contributing directly to two of the Global Goals: Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11); and Industry, innovation, and infrastructure (SDG 9).

We are keen to respond to the urgency of responding locally to the Global Goals. SIGenBici is a project that arises from the collaboration between GeoLab, our research group, and Corporación Colectivo SiCLas. At GeoLab, we are a group of students and professors from the University of Antioquia, whose main campus is in Medellín. GeoLab is characterized by its interdisciplinarity because even though it has been created within the Faculty of Engineering, it receives members from other disciplines interested in learning more about FOSS, the generation of open data, and the application of collaborative methodologies. For this reason, we have different lines of applied research, and SIGenBici was born within the urban sustainability line, coordinated by professors from the area of ​​mobility and transportation. On the other hand, SiCLas is a group of cycling activists from Medellín, who are dedicated to promoting active mobility centered on cycling through various activities with a social and environmental focus.

We believe that active mobility associated with technology has the potential to offer more equitable access to the territory. The support network to which we have access by being part of YouthMappers allows us to act in a growing international community of “digital humanitarians” that use mapping tools to connect people and places in response to global emergencies (Solís et al. 2020). This multiscalar network encourages the generation of citizen science connected to academic research as a means for creating social innovation (Brovelli et al. 2020).

2 Context of Cycling in Medellín

Medellín is the core city of the Aburrá Valley Metropolitan Area (AMVA, by its acronym in Spanish), as well as the capital of the Department of Antioquia, Colombia. AMVA is composed of ten municipalities located in a narrow valley limited by two plateaus, presenting a canyon configuration. The bottom and flat area of the valley is almost completely urbanized, which has led to a phenomenon of urban expansion toward its slopes (AMVA 2016).

This complex metropolitan system concentrates 58.4% (3,994,645 inhabitants, projection for 2020) of the population in 1.8% of the departmental area, which largely directs socioeconomic flows from rural regions toward this urban conglomerate. The population growth trend and the marked increase in the number of vehicles in the AMVA (an increase in the vehicle fleet of 282% and a motorization rate of 190% between 2005 and 2015) led to a rise in fixed and mobile polluting sources (AMVA 2016). Adding the above to the geographical conditions of the valley, where the mountains act as a barrier to the wind circulation and pollutant dispersion, has increased the frequency of atmospheric contingency episodes over the past decade.

Framed in this context, we proposed SIGenBici to expand the information on the existing cycling infrastructure in the territory and to encourage more people to use bicycles as a mode of urban transportation. The Bicycle Master Plan for the Aburrá Valley Metropolitan Area 2030, developed in 2015, planned that by 2019, 4% of the total trips made in the valley would be on bicycle and that by 2030, these would increase up to 10% (AMVA 2015). To achieve this goal, the region promised to increase the cycling infrastructure of the capital city. However, there is no updated information on the fulfillment of the goal. Additionally, since 2012 there has not been a significant increase in cyclists, and according to the Origin-Destination Survey of 2017 (AMVA 2017), only 1% of people used this mode of transport in the same year, an increase of 0.3% compared to 2012.

The availability of up-to-date and reliable information about the existence, location, and condition of bicycle lanes and other cycling infrastructure is an incentive to the use of technologies for decision-making of trips, as well as the absence of these data may represent a barrier. This is a problem for cyclists who want to travel around the city and who seek to identify the most appropriate route to their destination, as well as information on bike parking, EnCicla stations (our bike-sharing system), among others.

In this sense, cyclists are part of a community that has been growing locally, and they play a key role in the generation and use of open data in the field of mobility. By strengthening this technological connectivity, they become active mappers who have local knowledge and the interest to keep the data constantly updated, since they use it in their day-to-day life.

3 Open Mapping Methods and Activities

We based the development of the project on specific objectives of remote and field data collection, the training of the community of cyclists, the population and spatial analysis of the users of the cycling infrastructure, and the dissemination of results for their use by cyclists and planning entities. To meet our goals, we applied a mixed methodology divided into three phases combining purely spatial data elements with qualitative surroundings perception, the latter based on concepts of Emotional Cartography (Nold 2009).

3.1 Remote Data Collection

The first phase referred to data collection remotely, with the aim of completing the information about cycling infrastructure publicly available on the OpenStreetMap platform (OSM). In a collaborative tag definition process with SiCLas members, a list of elements was created, complementing the cycling lanes offer with facilities such as bike parking, bicycle repair shops, public bike stations, among others. We realized that the terminology used to refer to cycle paths is not standardized, and changes even within the same region, making it necessary to establish a data mapping standard so that the information was as consistent and uniform as possible. To facilitate this, we organized a step-by-step mapping guide, which was socialized with the university volunteers, SiCLas members, and the general community involved in the project. Then, through a series of workshops on OSM and its editors, the mapping process was explained from the beginning, to empower the community in the use of these tools, inviting them to become active agents, using their local knowledge in the construction of the territory (Fig. 19.1)

Fig. 19.1
A photo of youth mappers training and validating data on a computer screen.

YouthMappers train and validate in the GeoLab in Medellín, Colombia

Full size image

To carry out the remote mapping activity, we used OSM Colombia´s Tasking Manager platform, intending to minimize conflicts at the time of editing. Likewise, we relied on Mapillary in some areas that were not so frequented by volunteers. In total, sixteen projects (tasks) were opened, one for each commune of the city of Medellín, so that the volunteer mapper could more easily identify the area that they travel to daily. As a result of these workshops, the information on the bicycle lanes and cycling amenities was published both in OSM and the SIGenBici cycling map (SIGenBici 2021) (Fig. 19.2).

Fig. 19.2
A screenshot from Cycl O S M depicts a map of Colombia with bicycle infrastructure and repair shops.

Bicycle infrastructure is depicted using CyclOSM, making visible features from ramps to repair shops

Full size image

3.2 Socio-spatial Survey of Cyclists

In the second phase, we intended to learn more about cyclists: their profile, the routes they follow, their motivation, their behaviors, and perceptions. The main objective of this phase was to capture information that could be associated with the spatial data reported by the survey respondents, which would allow generating social analyzes and identifying route patterns according to characteristics such as gender, level of experience, age, etc., so that more subjective, emotional, and perceptual aspects of the surroundings could be identified. We also wanted to identify how cycling routes were perceived in terms of safety, comfort, and risks, which would help us to identify issues and opportunities throughout the territory.

To collect such information, a socio-spatial analysis survey was formulated, in which four sections were defined: Information about the subject, transportation mode, identification of routes, and perceptions of the surroundings. The first section allowed creating a general profile of the urban cyclist, by requesting information regarding age, gender, educational level, and occupation, among others. The second section was intended to identify the main mode of transport, as well as the intermodality of the trips, the type of bike used, and the level of experience as a cyclist. The third section covered spatial aspects, including their frequent route tracks and their characterization data (such as the reason for the trip, schedule, and frequency, among others). Finally, the fourth section combined the georeferenced data about the surroundings of the routes with some open comments, used to identify and classify areas, according to the perception of cyclists, as well as cases of theft or vandalism. In addition, it was asked which conditions hinder or discourage the use of the bicycle, as well as which ones optimize and encourage it.

The survey was developed as a specific web form for the project, considering that after reviewing many of the tools available as free software, none could combine the features required for the project with an intuitive way of operating, in a way that was easy to use for the community and volunteers. To build the form, we used languages and libraries typical of web development, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (JQuery and Leaflet libraries), grouping in the same tool the capture of quantitative, qualitative, and spatial data. Additionally, this data development gives the possibility of receiving answers permanently, in order to continue improving the database. After two months of its publication, the number of responses received reached the equivalent of 72% of the sample of cyclists in the official Origin-Destination Medellín Metropolitan Area Survey of 2017.

We also planned a street-level photo capture activity using the Mapillary platform for this phase. Project members and volunteers were trained to capture photos using their action cameras or cell phones, cycling through the cycle paths mapped in the first phase of the project. The sequences of photos published on the platform linked to the SIGenBici project will allow the integration of street images into the SIGenBici cycling map in the future.

3.3 Thematic Mapping and Data Analysis

The third phase included the analysis of the data obtained through the survey, as well as the generation of thematic maps. To achieve this, the responses received were standardized and refined, then associated with spatial information and stored in GeoJSON-type file formats, which represent the base format for viewing on the SIGenBici website. It is important to note that both the project and its tools were designed in such a way that they had continuity over time. Therefore, people from the cycling and non-cycling community can continuously add information to the database, contributing to the collection of specific data that are used for thematic maps and spatiotemporal analysis, carried out in QGIS and visualized on the SIGenBici platform.

3.4 Essential Participation of the Community as Researcher

The development of the SIGenBici project has been a learning process for the entire team involved, since many of its activities have been developed in virtual mode due to the restrictions of social isolation experienced in recent months due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19. This has required a constant adaptation of the methodological process, which, being essentially participatory, has presented great barriers in its application. However, the fact that the project was structured with a collaborative approach was what has allowed us to overcome the difficulties presented and move toward its conclusion. We have applied a community-based participatory research model, actively involving the cycling community from the beginning of the project formulation. This has guaranteed us to address the issues of interest to the community and investigate the problems that really need to be addressed (Wilson et al. 2010).

The cycling community is a group that, we could say, can represent the complexity and richness of the city in a reduced version. It is a community of people with different characteristics (considering demographic variables such as sex, age, educational level, and occupation) linked by sharing a common vision and engaging in joint action (MacQueen et al. 2001). Each one of these people who has participated in the different phases of SIGenBici has contributed with unique knowledge, generating a process of knowledge transfer and exchange between the community and the academy (Wilson et al. 2010). The production of relevant research evidence has guaranteed the interest of the community in advancing the project over time. Beyond that, it projects SIGenBici into the future, guaranteeing actions for changes.

4 Main Findings of Cycling Infrastructure

Despite the increase in cycling infrastructure over recent years, taking into account the difficult topography of the valley, there has not been an adequate distribution throughout the city. Cycling infrastructure is established mainly in the southern and flatter area of the city, where the valley is widest, favoring 6 communes of the 16 existing in Medellín. Precisely, these communes are those that present the highest Multidimensional Living Conditions Index (LCI), meaning that their quality of life is higher, as is the ratio of green and recreational spaces per inhabitant. Unlike the six communes with the most built cycling infrastructure, the communes located in the north of the city have few or no kilometers of bicycle lanes. Coincidentally, they also have the lowest LCI in the city and have little public space and urban facilities. In addition to that, in that part of the city, the valley narrows and the slopes increase, which means that the streets do not present good conditions for the use of bicycles.

Regarding the data generation, it was very interesting to note that the participation of minorities, despite being proportionally small, has made interesting contributions and generated important reflections. Concerning gender, although the fact that female participation was equivalent to only 36%, compared to 62% of male participation, the results presented a female participation three times higher than that identified in the AMVA’s Origin-Destination Survey of 2017. The gender option “Other” was mentioned by only 1% of those surveyed, which leads to the recognition of the need to involve the LGBTIQ + community more in these studies to represent their reality. Likewise, it was interesting to review the comments of non-cyclists (14.4%) who participated in the survey, since they provided their perspective about their relationship as external actors and the bicycle users’ issues existing in the city, which for them still represent sufficiently large barriers to the point of discouraging them from migrating to the cycling mode.

When analyzing the influence of the cyclist’s gender on the preferred routes, we observed that the majority of women choose to follow the bicycle paths and not so much the shared lanes. In the heat maps analyzed, the roads with the highest density (for the female gender) are those with cycle tracks or bike lanes. Women prefer to avoid high-traffic roads, contrary to the behavior of men, who use more alternative routes for their commutes, which are more spread out in the territory (Fig. 19.3).

Fig. 19.3
A pair of maps depict cyclist routes for females and males, with routes highlighted in different shades.

Routes taken by female cyclists are compared to routes taken by male cyclists

Full size image

This preference for bicycle paths or shared routes could also be explained by the self-perception of the survey respondents about their level of experience. The results we obtained indicate that women perceive themselves to be less experienced in cycling than men, despite not having a proportional relationship with the time they have been cyclists. However, neither gender nor cyclist's education nor the type of bicycle used was shown to influence the number of kilometers traveled by bicycle. The difference in average kilometers between men and women is 0.20 km, and the gender “others” has the same average as the female.

Regarding trip purposes, most cyclists use the bicycle for a broad range of motives, such as to go to work, to study, and for recreation, among others. The greatest distances traveled are for leisure rides; in other words, people are willing to take longer trips for recreation or sport, a culture that is very widespread among Colombians. We can deduce that the reasons related to daily obligations, such as work and study, have shorter distances traveled because the cyclists surveyed live relatively close to their travel destinations. The origin-destination map that we generated corroborates the average values traveled and confirms our hypothesis.

It is worth mentioning that both men and women cyclists justified their route preferences by giving greater importance to safety and the existence of cycling infrastructure. In addition, taking into account the level of experience of the cyclists, safety, tranquility or comfort, and less vehicular traffic are important for everyone. On the other hand, cyclists who have a high level of experience prefer direct and fast routes regardless of the existence of cycling infrastructure, a characteristic that is more important for cyclists with a low and medium level of experience.

Finally, we took into account the cyclists’ perceptions about the routes they traveled and mapped several points in the city categorized as pleasant, safe, dangerous, with infrastructure problems, or risk of incident. Unfortunately, the last three perceptions coincide in being concentrated along the routes where more road incidents involving cyclists happen in the city. These results have allowed us to identify vulnerable points and dangerous areas where cycling infrastructure could be established in the future. They have also allowed us to discover areas where cyclists feel they are in a safe and pleasant environment, reinforcing the fact that cycling in Medellín has great potential as sustainable urban transport, and it needs to be encouraged through more and better infrastructure, as well as communication and educational strategies.

During SIGenBici development, we had the opportunity to greatly socialize the project through participation in different events, linked both with the use of GIS tools and with the cycling community. We can highlight our engagement in local events like the Medellín Bike Festival and the GIS Day organized by the University of Antioquia, both occurring in November 2020; and in international events like the HOT Summit 2020, in December 2020. Our presentation at the HOT Summit 2020 was related to our contribution to the Mapillary Challenge 2020, in which we were selected as the #map2020 project of the year.

5 Reflections About Cycling and Participatory Planning

As citizens, we are the territorial actors more immersed in it, and we know first-hand the needs and strengths that exist; however, many times this knowledge is not used, sometimes due to the lack of tools that allow a correct articulation between the government and the community. Other times, it is due to the absence of educational processes that allow the transfer of this knowledge to citizens, in such a way that can generate more articulated and sustainable territories.

Based on this idea, during the SIGenBici project process, we were able to show that barriers that have traditionally existed in the city, associated with social and economic issues, also extend to the offer of cycling infrastructure, where the areas that have been more segregated, are less covered. For instance, given the need to migrate many activities to the virtual sphere, we were able to notice the digital divide that exists within our community, in terms of internet access and mastery of information technologies. This is evidenced by the data reported in the survey, where we receive very little information from some of the areas that have been more vulnerable, in part, due to the way in which the project was disseminated, closely linked to social media networks. There is also an evident relationship with the educational level since a large part of the cyclists surveyed have secondary and higher education levels above the population of cyclists in the Metropolitan Area.

On the other hand, in the data capture process, we noticed that some participants presented difficulties in terms of interpretation and spatial location through maps. This shows the need to generate more literacy spaces on spatial issues, so as to increase community participation in many of the digital initiatives that involve spatial data, which are becoming more and more common, especially on issues of city planning, facilitating citizen participation in urban mobility planning.

Considering this, the idea of thinking about the project as a more robust platform was born, with the aim of giving continuity to SIGenBici over time, preserving the structure already designed and working on improving processes, as well as expanding its dissemination by digital and not digital means. During the definition of this current project version, the comments and contributions of the community were very relevant, allowing the generation of a more user-friendly and intuitive environment, which is still under development. Eventually, we hope that this information can be used in the future, in matters of planning and management of infrastructure at the city level, allowing collective participation in the improvement and creation of facilities, at least in terms of cycling mobility.