Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2025
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Planning and Public Policy
Department
Urban and Public Affairs
First Advisor
Oswald Jenewein
Second Advisor
Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez
Third Advisor
Diane Jones Allen
Fourth Advisor
Ahoura Zandiatashbar
Abstract
Bike equity extends far beyond paint on concrete. Achieving a truly equitable cycling environment in urban areas requires addressing the full range of factors that determine whether cycling is a safe, accessible, and viable mode of transportation for people across diverse communities. Equitable access to cycling enables individuals to participate fully in social, economic, and civic life. However, many neighborhoods, particularly those that have been historically marginalized, remain underserved by current bicycle infrastructure and planning practices. While equity has become a growing concern in urban transportation planning, efforts to assess bicycle equity often remain narrowly defined. Existing models tend to focus either on access to bike infrastructure or on proximity to destinations reachable by bicycle, and they typically rely on a limited set of indicators. These approaches often fail to capture the broader social, spatial, and structural conditions that shape cycling access and outcomes. As a result, they provide an incomplete understanding of bicycle equity and offer limited guidance for addressing systemic disparities.
This dissertation addresses these limitations by developing the Bike Equity Index (BEI), a comprehensive, justice-oriented framework grounded in both scholarly literature and community-informed perspectives. The BEI is designed to equip planners and policymakers with a more nuanced, data-driven, and actionable tool to advance equity in bicycle infrastructure planning and urban mobility.
Framed by a distributive justice perspective, the study investigates three core questions: What are the key components necessary to assess bike equity? How should their relative importance be determined? And how can these measures be operationalized to inform equitable planning decisions? To answer these questions, the research employs a mixed-methods design, integrating a systematic literature review, a Delphi survey with scholars and practitioners, and spatial analysis across California’s nine-county Bay Area, a region that exemplifies many of the transportation and equity challenges facing metropolitan areas. The resulting index incorporates over forty validated indicators capturing both supply-side conditions (such as facility type, connectivity, safety, and access to destinations) and demand-side characteristics (including income, race, travel behavior, and transit access).
Findings reveal a persistent misalignment between bicycle infrastructure provision and community need, with underserved neighborhoods continuing to lack safe and accessible cycling options. The Bike Equity Index identifies these spatial disparities at the urban block group level and offers a flexible and replicable tool to support equity-focused investment strategies.
Beyond its practical applications, this research contributes to planning theory by advancing how equity is conceptualized, measured, and applied within transportation planning. It challenges conventional paradigms that prioritize ridership and efficiency, and instead proposes a justice-based approach grounded in distributive fairness and spatial need. By embedding equity into methodological design and decision-making processes, the BEI bridges the gap between normative planning ideals and actionable strategies. Ultimately, this work positions cycling not only as a sustainable mode of transport, but also as a catalyst for building more inclusive, just, and resilient urban futures.
Keywords
Bike Equity, Transportation Equity, Active Transportation, Distributive Justice, Delphi Method, Equity Assessment Tools
Disciplines
Urban, Community and Regional Planning
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Hashemi Yazdi, Mona, "AN EQUITY ASSESSMENT OF BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE AS A STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES" (2025). Planning Dissertations. 65.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/planning_dissertations/65