IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i5p2146-d1351373.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Tale of Two Divvys: The Bicycle Sharing System of Chicago

Author

Listed:
  • Zinette Bergman

    (Department of Social Sciences, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland)

  • Nicolas Allenspach

    (Department of Social Sciences, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland)

  • Manfred Max Bergman

    (Department of Social Sciences, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
    Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA)

Abstract

How did Chicago develop one of the largest and most successful Bicycle Sharing Systems in a very short time, what benefits does this system afford to the city and its residents, and what developments threaten this success? Urban areas benefit significantly and in a variety of ways from micromobility, which contributes to an urgently needed sustainability transformation. In this qualitative, exploratory case study, we examine the foundations of the success and types of benefits of the second largest bicycle sharing system in North America, the City of Chicago’s Divvy. We juxtapose our data, which consists of participant and non-participant observations, fieldwork, interviews, documents, and social media posts, with a typology gleaned from the academic literature on bicycle sharing systems to explore Divvy’s wide-ranging positive impact. This typology includes economic, environmental, health and safety, and quality of life benefits. In addition, we identify two further benefits from our data: modularity and zoetic capacity. Despite this impact, we show how the consequences of changes in the ownership structure since 2018 are threatening the success and benefits. The emerging service model is no longer based on the initial pillars of its success: the city’s policy and vision for Divvy, the funding and ownership structure, and the strategic deployment of bicycle stations to balance demand potential with locational equity. Based on our study, we conclude that it is unlikely that the new micromobility system, refocused on more profitable e-bike and e-scooter rentals in privileged neighborhoods, is viable in the long term because it is abandoning the core values that embedded Divvy into the fabric of the city. Worse, the emergent model may actually contribute to a systematic exclusion of poorer neighborhoods and less privileged residents of Chicago.

Suggested Citation

  • Zinette Bergman & Nicolas Allenspach & Manfred Max Bergman, 2024. "A Tale of Two Divvys: The Bicycle Sharing System of Chicago," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-20, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:5:p:2146-:d:1351373
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/5/2146/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/5/2146/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cohen, Adam & Shaheen, Susan & Broader, Jacquelyn & Martin, Elliot, 2021. "Mobility on Demand (MOD) Demonstration: Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Ventra-Divvy Integration Case Study," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt2679828b, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    2. Zinette Bergman & Manfred Max Bergman & Christoph Haenggi & Zhao Lei & Andrew Thatcher, 2020. "Technological change and sociocultural models in China: A case study of train commuters in Beijing," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(4), pages 465-479, July.
    3. Mosabbir Pasha & Shakil Rifaat & Richard Tay & Alex de Barros, 2016. "Urban design and planning influences on the share of trips taken by cycling," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(4), pages 471-480, July.
    4. Zinette Bergman & Manfred Max Bergman & Kiran Fernandes & Daphne Grossrieder & Lea Schneider, 2018. "The Contribution of UNESCO Chairs toward Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-16, November.
    5. Morteza Hossein Sabbaghian & David Llopis-Castelló & Alfredo García, 2023. "A Safe Infrastructure for Micromobility: The Current State of Knowledge," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-20, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zinette Bergman & Manfred Max Bergman, 2022. "Toward Sustainable Communities: A Case Study of the Eastern Market in Detroit," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-14, April.
    2. Aleksander Buczacki & Bartłomiej Gładysz & Erika Palmer, 2021. "HoReCa Food Waste and Sustainable Development Goals—A Systemic View," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Zinette Bergman, 2019. "Trains in the Land of the Car: A Case Study of Mobility as Agency in the United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-12, November.
    4. Asif Saeed & Umara Noreen & Akbar Azam & Muhammad Sohail Tahir, 2021. "Does CSR Governance Improve Social Sustainability and Reduce the Carbon Footprint: International Evidence from the Energy Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-16, March.
    5. Víctor Meseguer-Sánchez & Emilio Abad-Segura & Luis Jesús Belmonte-Ureña & Valentín Molina-Moreno, 2020. "Examining the Research Evolution on the Socio-Economic and Environmental Dimensions on University Social Responsibility," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-30, July.
    6. Collins, Patricia A. & MacFarlane, Robert, 2018. "Evaluating the determinants of switching to public transit in an automobile-oriented mid-sized Canadian city: A longitudinal analysis," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 682-695.
    7. Ali Karji & Mostafa Namian & Mohammadsoroush Tafazzoli, 2020. "Identifying the Key Barriers to Promote Sustainable Construction in the United States: A Principal Component Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-21, June.
    8. Áron Szennay & Cecília Szigeti & Norbert Kovács & Dániel Róbert Szabó, 2019. "Through the Blurry Looking Glass—SDGs in the GRI Reports," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-17, May.
    9. Erika González García & Ernesto Colomo Magaña & Andrea Cívico Ariza, 2020. "Quality Education as a Sustainable Development Goal in the Context of 2030 Agenda: Bibliometric Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-18, July.
    10. Manfred Max Bergman & Zinette Bergman & Yael Teschemacher & Bimal Arora & Divya Jyoti & Rijit Sengupta, 2019. "Corporate Responsibility in India: Academic Perspectives on the Companies Act 2013," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-20, October.
    11. Shivam Gupta & Jakob Rhyner, 2022. "Mindful Application of Digitalization for Sustainable Development: The Digitainability Assessment Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-23, March.
    12. Broccardo, Laura & Truant, Elisa & Dana, Léo-Paul, 2023. "The interlink between digitalization, sustainability, and performance: An Italian context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    13. Andrzej Raszkowski & Bartosz Bartniczak, 2019. "On the Road to Sustainability: Implementation of the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-20, January.
    14. Umut Ayman & Anıl Kemal Kaya & Ülfet Kutoğlu Kuruç, 2020. "The Impact of Digital Communication and PR Models on the Sustainability of Higher Education during Crises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-15, October.
    15. Naseri, Mahsa & Delbosc, Alexa & Kamruzzaman, Liton, 2023. "The role of neighbourhood design in cycling activity during COVID-19: An exploration of the Melbourne experience," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    16. Mohammad Abu Afrahim Bhuiyan & Shakil Mohammad Rifaat & Richard Tay & Alex De Barros, 2020. "Influence of Community Design and Sociodemographic Characteristics on Teleworking," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-10, July.
    17. M. Reza Shirazi, 2020. "Compact Urban Form: Neighbouring and Social Activity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-18, March.
    18. Agnieszka Hajdukiewicz & Bożena Pera, 2020. "Education for Sustainable Development—The Case of Massive Open Online Courses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-20, October.
    19. M. Reza Shirazi & Ramin Keivani, 2021. "Social Sustainability of Compact Neighbourhoods Evidence from London and Berlin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-20, February.
    20. Khanyisa B. Mantlana & Malebajoa A. Maoela & Godwell Nhamo, 2021. "Mapping South Africaʼs nationally determined contributions to the targets of the sustainable development goals," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 45(1), pages 3-17, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:5:p:2146-:d:1351373. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.