Bicycles are not only a means of transportation, but they also represent social and cultural identities. All over the world there are cycling communities consisting of like-minded people, whether they are professional athletes, political activists or recreational cyclists and bike-lovers. Some of them are very organized and formalized, such as the Dutch Fietsersbond. Others are just occasional and have a more informal character, for example the so-called ride outs we see in all major global cities. Moreover, some communities only even exist in the heads of people, because people do not really know each other, but nevertheless feel connected. This is what political scientist Benedict Anderson (1983) called ‘imagined communities’.
A great example of this last category is the group of people that gather around mobile meeting places. Here, the bicycle primarily serves as a means to transport all kinds of supplies, like folding chairs, camping tables, a beach umbrella, bulletin boards, checked tablecloths, coffeepots and coffee cups. When parked, the cargo bike is no longer a means of transportation. It becomes the decoration of a mobile terrace that temporarily transforms anonymous public space into a more intimate setting. Here, people can meet each other without any obligations. They can talk about their neigborhood, ask for help or simply appreciate being seen. It is the perfect addition to the historically planned places such as community centres, where people have to consider opening hours, obey house rules and belong to a target group. Mobile meeting places have no boundaries and are for everyone.
Small gestures with big impact
In 2020 I started one of those places in my hometown Amersfoort using a small cargo bike (bakfiets), to foster social interaction amongst community members. I called it ‘Buurtterras Kattenbroek’, named after the neighborhood where I live. In Dutch it refers to both a place (a local terrace) and a verb (‘even buurten’ which means paying a quick visit). This initiative originates from the observation that not all citizens are actively looking for activities or want to commit themselves to long-term volunteering. And then there are people who think their problem is not big enough to bother others, or people who simply don’t know where to turn to. And finally, some people just want to have a small talk once in a while, need a pat on the back or require a little nudge. Conversations on the streets have demonstrated that a lot of people may feel involved but not turn it into behavior that we would call participation. As a consequence, this large group of people that are definitely interested and open to contact (an exception here and there) cannot be denied, nor can they be defined as ‘people that cannot be reached’, as professionals working in urban neighborhoods often tend to say.
In order to involve this group, it is important not to wait for them to come to formal places or turn to their neighbours, but to reach out to them and to provide a proper introduction to their neighbours. A mobile meeting place is the perfect concept for that. It creates a familiar sphere where people feel welcome and safe. Although the visitors are usually total strangers to each other, it often takes just a few minutes before very personal stories are shared. Fun fact: sometimes people discover they are actually each other’s neighbours, living right across the street!
As an urban geographer with a specialization in social cohesion and citizen participation, I am very intrigued by the impact such a small gesture like offering coffee and actually listening to others can have on people’s lives: a neighbor who doesn’t know who to turn to when needing a ride to the hospital, a resident who experiences a lot of stress as the result of providing informal care to a relative, a woman who just lost her husband and doesn’t know her way around because she has always relied on him, or a resident with a great idea who finally feels appreciation and decides to start looking for supporters and subsidies. More often, conversations at mobile meeting places are not linear and instrumental. People often thank me for having the opportunity to tell what’s on their mind (without being provided with a solution for their problem), for being surprised and amazed by a different way of communicating (without assumptions and predefined questions) and for being provided with a different perspective on their own neighborhood and their neighbors.
The bicycle as a universal symbol for simplicity
Having written a lot about the possible explanations for why mobile meeting places are so successful, I have come to the conclusion that the use of the bicycle is a crucial element in this concept. Of course, there are dozens of variations: minivans, former school buses, camper vans, hand carts, customized Piaggo Ape scooters, etcetera. In Rotterdam, a community builder even walks around with a book cart from a former library to draw attention (which actually is quite easy because it is very noisy…). Looking at all those different appearances, the bicycle must be the most appealing, because it is so easy to identify with. After all, the Netherlands are known for having more bicycles than citizens and bicycles literally can be found on every corner. It is a symbol for simplicity that in a very subtle way refers to the little effort that is needed to get in touch with strangers.
Because a cargo bike is not motorized, it does not require a license and – compared to minivans and buses – is small, light, and is very flexible. It can access most parts of the average Dutch neighborhood without any problems. Exceptions are places with physical barriers (fences, stairs, posts, steep bridges and unpaved roads) and places where local legislation hinders the temporary transformation of public space, such as shopping centers and places where social safety issues require extra regulations by the Dutch General Local Regulation (known as the ‘APV’). In some cases, the municipality will allow mobile meeting places by providing a permit. A huge compliment that I often receive is the fact that it is highly appreciated that someone pays their street a visit, where they normally don’t see so many ‘outsiders’. All thanks to the bicycle that enables this visit.
Academic interpretations
There is a great body of knowledge on community building, citizen participation and placemaking. A study that is often referred to in this context is ‘Celebrating the third place’ by Ray Oldenburg (2000), in which he stresses the importance of places in addition to home and work or school. From a mobility perspective, the literature on new narratives is relevant here. For example the article ‘Identifying, nurturing and empowering alternative mobility narratives’ by Marco te Brömmelstroet and others (2022). Especially, the narrative ‘cycling as social interaction’ is of importance here, because it refers to cycling as a social activity. So far, there hasn’t been much research done on the specific topic of mobile meeting places, in which elements from both disciplines are combined.
To gain more insight in the meaning and importance of mobile meeting places, and the underlying mechanisms, I organized a conference in June together with two national organizations that represent active citizens and civil servants. We discovered many similarities, but also found out about some interesting differences between initiatives from all over the country. We asked simple questions, such as, should you announce your visit or do you want it to be a complete surprise? And do you want the mobile meeting places to be exclusively for residents or are you also inviting neighborhood professionals, like police officers, representatives of housing associations and social workers? All these choices determine the character of the place and thus the type of conversations and the impact it has on the local community. In order to keep this dialogue going, I started a group on LinkedIn (in Dutch), where both citizens and professionals can share thoughts and ideas, ask questions and share best practices. It can be regarded as the start of an exploratory research about mobile meeting places, in which the role of the bicycle will receive special attention.
This article was made possible thanks to LSA Bewoners and LPB Platform voor Buurtgericht Werken, who funded and co-organized the first national conference on mobile meeting places on June 20th in Amersfoort. Special thanks to Dylan Power for reviewing the draft version of this article.
References
- LSA Bewoners (2024), Van bus tot bakfiets: hoe organiseer je een mobiele ontmoetingsplek? Article on https://www.lsabewoners.nl/2024/06/van-bus-tot-bakfiets-hoe-organiseer-je-een-mobiele-ontmoetingsplek/, published on June 26th, 2024.
- Marissing, E. van (2024), ‘We moeten naar de mensen toe’. De kracht van toevallige ontmoetingen. Article on https://www.buurtwijs.nl/content/we-moeten-naar-de-mensen-toe, published on June 3rd, 2024.Network DAK (2024), ‘Met outreachend werk kom ik de hele breedte van de wijk tegen’. Article on https://netwerkdak.nl/nieuws/met-outreachend-werk-kom-ik-de-hele-breedte-van-de-wijk-tegen/ , published on May 30th, 2024.
