September 22nd is World Car-Free Day every year. A social event called "Car-Free Day" is held on a global scale.
In Nagoya, in addition to a special edition of Critical Mass organized mainly by Daisy Messenger on Friday, the 23rd (a public holiday), we are planning to host several events as part of a "Bikeful Weekend."
Circles is participating too!
We usually participate in Critical Mass individually. For this special edition, however, Circles will partially close to participate as a team. Of course, Culture Club and CWD will be there, and PFM will also be joining in to provide coffee and participate in the ride.
On Friday the 23rd (public holiday), we will be operating with a small staff from 14:00 onwards, which may cause some inconvenience to those visiting the shop. We ask for your understanding and cooperation.
Asai will be leaving the shop at 16:00 to head to the meeting point. If you would like to join us, please come to Circles by that time. If your schedule allows, we would love for you to ride in the Critical Mass with us.
Please check the official Instagram page for details on Bikeful Weekend and Critical Mass.
Some of the program may change due to the rain forecast. Please refer to Critical Mass's Instagram for the latest information.
CRITICAL MASS NAGOYA & PLIKING & FILM SCREENING
Date and Time: 9/23/2022 (Fri)
PLIKING: 15:00(Cancelled due to severe weather forecast)
Critical Mass: 17:00(Cancelled due to severe weather forecast)
FILM SCREENING: 20:00(Cancelled due to severe weather forecast)Meeting Point: PLIKING / Critical Mass: Hisaya Odori Park Kibou no Hiroba
FILM SCREENING: Daisy Messenger
What to bring: Lights, mask
What is Critical Mass?
Japanese cities are still largely built for cars. This is an organized group ride intended to promote the message that we want cities to be more bicycle-friendly, and as a result, see more people using bicycles. It is a group ride where we all get together and ride slowly through the city.
Recently, bike lanes have begun to be installed on Route 19 between Circles and Culture Club. Such outcomes don't just happen on their own; we have to speak up. Let's send a message together that this is what we want!
Our friends at the Los Angeles bike shop Golden Saddle Cyclery are also active participants in Critical Mass, and their community was part of how their shop got its start. To enjoy yourself thoroughly, it is important to create the environment for it yourself.
Can cities be changed?
Now for a slight change of subject.
As I wrote briefly in our article introducing bicycle books (a+u), the state of cities has changed significantly over the last few years, and various initiatives are underway all over the world.
Unlike in the past, when ecologically-minded counterculture was the mainstream, conventional car-centric urban planning is being re-evaluated for economic and sanitary reasons as well. Many of these plans existed previously, but the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated their implementation. Let's look at a few concrete examples.
NY Open Streets Program
This is a system that allows for restricting or prohibiting vehicle traffic in a district if neighborhood consensus is reached. It is being used in various ways, such as for pedestrianized zones, cultural events, and outdoor restaurant seating. It has even begun to appear with a dedicated icon on Google Maps.
NYC Street Reform Initiatives (1): New York City's "Open Streets Program" during the COVID-19 pandemic
https://www.jlgc.org/ja/07-14-2021/10021/
The "15-minute city" concept proposed by the Mayor of Paris
This is an urban planning concept based on the idea of living and working in close proximity, which has been around for a long time. There is no doubt that it is having a resurgence now because of COVID-19. The images created by the City of Paris as an alternative to narrow sidewalks and crowded trains also assume bicycle transportation.
The unexpected permanence of the 15-minute city | Explaining the new urbanism in the post-COVID era
https://sotonoba.place/15-minutecity
Osaka Midosuji pedestrianization plan
Midosuji is the premier main street in Osaka. It is currently an eight-lane one-way road, but there is a plan to gradually widen the sidewalks and eventually turn the entire road into a pedestrian area. This will encourage the influx of and interaction between people, goods, funds, businesses, and information, which are urban resources.
"Midosuji Future Vision" has been formulated
https://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/kensetsu/page/0000464479.html
As Kodama reported recently, Copenhagen, a bicycle city, has also built its streets over a long period of time. The way cities are meant to be changes with the times. And surprisingly, these changes are becoming familiar to us.
With its wide roads, Nagoya has a lot of potential. Let's join the Bikeful Weekend and Critical Mass together and think about what our ideal city could look like.
BIKEFUL WEEKEND
Date and Time: September 23-25 (Fri-Sun)
@criticalmassnagoya
https://www.instagram.com/criticalmassnagoya/