BXLX Landscape has introduced “Lisboa Horizontal,” an innovative bike path system inspired by the city’s urban metro network.
At first sight, cycling in Portugal’s capital seems challenging due to its numerous hills. Known primarily for its steep cable cars and public lifts, Lisbon, often referred to as the “City of the Seven Hills,” appears less inviting for cyclists.
However, a study by BXLX Landscape reveals that significant portions of the city can be easily accessed by bike. The architects have conceptualized a cycle path system that mirrors the layout of the metro network.
Streets Jammed, Limited Cycling
Lisbon boasts one of the lowest percentages of cycling traffic in Europe, with many residents depending on motorized transport. While the hilly terrain poses challenges, it shouldn’t deter cycling. Surprisingly, 63% of the city’s roads have inclines of less than 4%, providing excellent cycling conditions. Additionally, most of the hills are situated in the historic district, while the newer neighborhoods, where many residents live and work, are less hilly. Cities like Brighton and San Francisco have demonstrated that substantial cycling rates can thrive in hilly areas, aided by bike-sharing programs and e-bikes.
Cycle Path System with an App
BXLX Landscape aims to boost cycling in Lisbon with their ambitious “Lisboa Horizontal” project. Their initial study compared the city’s topography with its road network, establishing the feasibility of biking in the area. They then identified potential routes resembling those of the subway lines. Consequently, they designed a cycle path system consisting of four lines that span vast sections of the city.
In a subsequent initiative, BXLX Landscape developed the “Horizontal Cities Cycling App”, which guides cyclists along optimal routes based on factors like slope, safety, accessibility and overall bike-friendliness.
Lisboa Horizontal won the 2015 edition of Vodafone Big Smart Cities contest, and won the European Space Agency’s Business Idea Challenge in Brussels.
Read more on:
https://toposmagazine.com/cycle-tracks-lisbon-2/
Lisboa Horizontal won the BIG Smart Cities entrepreneurship competition by Vodafone in 2015. It was incubated at the Vodafone Power Lab and has benefited from the Esri Startup Program and the IBM Global Entrepreneur for Cloud Startups Program for the development of the application. The project received recognition from the Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) program of the European Space Agency (ESA) and collaborated ESA.
Lisboa Horizontal won the BIG Smart Cities entrepreneurship competition by Vodafone in 2015 for an innovative bike path system inspired by the city’s urban metro network.
BXLX Landscape Architecture 