Text from the publisher:

Blara Glachant. Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences]. Eindhoven University of Technology 2025. 207 p.

Clara Glachant successfully defended her PhD thesis on 3 November at TU Eindhoven. The thesis examined the cultural representations and identities of micromobilities and how they shape mobility transitions in the Netherlands and the UK, under the supervision of Dr. Frauke Behrendt and Prof. Ruth Oldenziel. This research analysed 323 press articles and 120 interviews with moped and e-cargo bike users to trace how micromobilities are represented, negotiated, and contested in relation to cars, cycling cultures, and social identities. Across 4 academic publications, the dissertation finds that micromobilities are often represented as residual, marginal, or even deviant, instead of being supported as a tool for change. These negative representations tend to divide groups of non-car users (such as cyclists and moped riders) rather than uniting them, which ultimately protects car dominance. Yet the “in-betweenness” of micromobility — neither fully car nor bicycle — can also be a strength. It creates opportunities for recognising diverse alternatives, from e-scooters and cargo bikes to fatbikes, and challenges boundaries in transport policy and planning. In sum, the research shows that mobility futures are not just shaped by infrastructure and innovation, but also by the cultural narratives that define which forms of movement are embraced and which are marginalised.

 

The full thesis is available here: https://pure.tue.nl/ws/files/369193367/20251103_Glachant_hf.pdf

Topics: bicycle, motorcycle, special vehicle