Urban road cyclability: indicators for the municipality of Belo Horizonte - MG, Brazil

Authors

  • Carlos Lobo Ph.D. in Geography, Postdoctoral Researcher in Demography, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, IGC/UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5368-8879
  • Guilherme Francisco do Nascimento Pinto Master’s in Environmental Systems Analysis and Modeling, Environmental Analyst, Amplo Engineering and Project Management Ltda., AMPLO, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6483-861X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18472/SustDeb.v14n2.2023.48691

Keywords:

Cyclability, Urban mobility, Active Transport, Non-Motorized Transport

Abstract

How people move around in large Brazilian cities reflects a process of production and appropriation of urban space. The transport system is characterised by the increasing rate of individual motorisation and the precariousness of public transport services. The general objective of this paper is to evaluate the level of road cycling in the city of Belo Horizonte/Minas Gerais/Brazil, based on the proposition and analysis of indicators to assess the degree of adequacy of urban roads for bicycle use as a transport mode. The results indicate that many of the roads in Belo Horizonte have good cycling levels. Given its topography and climate, these findings go against commonly held views that consider the municipality inappropriate for cycling as a mode of transport. In reality, Belo Horizonte has a very underused high cycling potential, especially if there were investments to expand the exclusive/preferred road infrastructure.

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Author Biographies

Carlos Lobo, Ph.D. in Geography, Postdoctoral Researcher in Demography, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, IGC/UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

Ph.D. in Geography from the Federal University of Minas Gerais and Postdoctoral in Demography from NEPO/UNICAMP. Currently, he is the Director of the Institute of Geosciences at UFMG and an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at IGC/UFMG. He is affiliated with the Postgraduate Programs in Geography and Analysis and Environmental Systems Modeling, both at IGC/UFMG, as well as the Postgraduate Program in Geography at UFSJ. He leads the research group titled "Accessibility and Urban Mobility," recognized by UFMG and registered with CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development). He previously served as the Coordinator of the Postgraduate Program in Geography at the Institute of Geosciences of UFMG and as the Head of the Department of Geography at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. He was the editor-in-chief of the Journal "Geografias/UFMG" and a research grantee of FAPEMIG (Minas Gerais State Research Foundation). His main academic focus lies in the subfields of Population Geography and Transport Geography, with particular emphasis on research related to migrations and spatial mobility of the population, including the utilization of quantitative methods applied to regional analysis.

Guilherme Francisco do Nascimento Pinto, Master’s in Environmental Systems Analysis and Modeling, Environmental Analyst, Amplo Engineering and Project Management Ltda., AMPLO, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

Geographer and Master’s in Analysis and Modeling of Environmental Systems from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). He is a researcher at the Laboratory of Territorial Studies at the Institute of Geosciences and a member of the Applied Geography research group. He has participated in research projects focusing on movements, spatial population distribution, and sustainable urban mobility. He previously worked for an environmental consulting company contracted by VALE and SAMARCO. Currently, he's as an environmental analyst at Amplo Engenharia e Gestão de Projetos LTDA, AMPLO, Brazil.

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Published

2023-08-31

How to Cite

Lobo, C., & Pinto, G. F. do N. (2023). Urban road cyclability: indicators for the municipality of Belo Horizonte - MG, Brazil . Sustainability in Debate, 14(2), 151–169. https://doi.org/10.18472/SustDeb.v14n2.2023.48691

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2023): Sustainability in Debate / Sustentabilidade em Debate

Section

Articles - Varia

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