Cycle-graphic Landscapes: Experiencing Honolulu Through Its Harrowed Cycling Infrastructure

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2014In many cities throughout the world, the bicycle has proven its merit as a viable mode of transportation. Even in an automobile dependent nation like the United States, bicycle commuting has become a growing trend within dense urban cities. Many have experienced the benefits of cycling in terms of how it has the ability to impact the larger environment, urban infrastructure, and promote personal health. Those who cycle know the bicycle is a viable mode of transportation, but the notion is not self-evident. Many are unaware of the bicycle as a utilitarian and cultural object. Cycle-graphic landscapes addresses this problem within Honolulu, Hawaii. The city of Honolulu is improving the capacity of its current cycling infrastructure, but has had difficulty generating higher participation rates. The encouragement of bicycle use in Honolulu needs to be made accessible physically and visually to the general public, which requires reinforcement by spatial means. This thesis shows how an architectural intervention can create an identity for the emerging Honolulu cycling system as a catalyst to generate visible bicycle culture. Cycle-graphic landscapes is a critique of Honolulu's response to urban density and alternative forms of transportation. In the face of rising urban density, Honolulu needs to reevaluate its approach towards urban infrastructure. With Honolulu's limited choices of existing transportation modes, the interjection of new modes are unavoidable, and certainly warranted. By leveraging the benefits of the developing light-rail transit and the proposed bicycle system, cycling can become more accessible, physically and visually, to residents of Oahu. Aimed at those who have not yet adopted cycling, for transportation and pleasure, the visual experience of the Cycle-graphic station showcases the act of cycling as an art and attempts to convey confidence in the equality of cyclist and motorist, the assurance that access is continuous and safe, and to promote the coolness and fun of cycling