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Cycling projects in low‐income communities: Exploring community perceptions of Te Ara Mua – Future Streets
Author(s) -
Thorne Rebekah,
Wild Kirsty,
Woodward Alistair,
Mackie Hamish
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
new zealand geographer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1745-7939
pISSN - 0028-8144
DOI - 10.1111/nzg.12276
Subject(s) - cycling , neighbourhood (mathematics) , perception , aotearoa , promotion (chess) , geography , sociology , socioeconomics , economic growth , political science , psychology , gender studies , economics , forestry , neuroscience , mathematical analysis , mathematics , politics , law
The cycling priorities and experiences of low‐income communities have traditionally received less research attention. This paper explores community perceptions of new cycling infrastructure within the Te Ara Mua – Future Streets project in the low‐cycling, low‐income, predominantly Pacific neighbourhood of Māngere Central, Auckland. Themes from seven key informant interviews and three focus groups included: local cycling norms; socio‐economic barriers; appreciation of the new community walking and cycling trail; desire for connectivity beyond the neighbourhood; concerns about on‐road bike lanes; support for local cycling champions; and tensions between views of the project as “experimentation” versus “investment.” We explore the implications of these findings for cycling promotion in Aotearoa.