Research Projects

Bicycling and Homelessness

Status: Active

Project Lead: Jeanette Steinmann

Cycling continues to grow in popularity in Vancouver, but the needs of people experiencing homelessness and precariously housed people who ride bikes are not well known in academia or well represented in government policy. This qualitative research study seeks to learn about DTES residents' experiences related to cycling and to consider how these perspectives can begin to be represented in policy. This work is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Steinmann, J., & Wilson, B. (2022). The underground bicycle economy: an exploration of social supports and economic resources that Vancouver’s homeless and variably-housed cyclists utilize. Mobilities, 1-16.

Steinmann, J., & Wilson, B. (2022). Different spokes for different folks: experiences with cycling and the bicycle from the perspective of variably-housed cyclists in Vancouver. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 1-20.

https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2021/06/28/Welcome-To-Vancouver-Underground-Bicycle-Economy/

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/underground-bicycle-economy-helps-shape-lives-for-recyclers-in-downtown-eastside

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2022/08/30/how-to-designbetter-cities-for-unseen-cyclists/