Between pace-making and pace-taking: Urban cycle logistics in an accelerated polity

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the concept of social acceleration by examining how cities are trying to speed up, maintain or slow down the pace of societal change. Through studies of cycle logistics policies and actions in cities in Denmark, Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany, we show how these balance between acting as pace-makers and pace-takers, as well as what the consequences of this balancing act are for enacting cycle logistics. By using acceleration as an overall theoretical concept, we show how transport planners, mobility policy advisors, and digitalization and innovation strategists understand and position themselves when setting the pace for cycle logistics as part of a broader transition toward sustainable transport. We conclude by discussing the implications of this for the general understanding of acceleration in transformations to urban sustainability.