The idea of moving people in megacities has changed in the last 20 years. This Skype conference, hosted at the MAK Center and moderated by Ingrid Fischer-Schreiber (in Austria) explored transportation trends unique to the city of Beijing with panelist Felix Creutzig (in Berkeley) and Rainer Prohaska (in Los Angeles). 

In the past, cars were only accessible to a small minority in Beijing – most residents used bicycles for local transportation. In recent years, however, the number of Beijing bike riders has steadily decreased, while the number of cars is rising by one thousand per day. This development is at odds with global planning priorities, which recognize bicycles as key to alleviating traffic congestion and improving the quality of urban life. Fishcher-Schreiber, Creutzig, and Prohaska examined these contrary mobility trends and discussed how such trends evolve and grow.