Arbeitsloseninitiative WilhelmsburgThe AIW has many programs and initiatives. It will be possible to integrate them in many steps in the pro-cess. Among their many programs they currently rent bikes, have a self help repair center for bicycles and have educational programs.

Universität der NachbarschaftenThe UdN is a research project of the HafenCity University. It was launched in Wilhelmsburg in Hamburg in 2008. Their main focus is directed towards the reciprocal exchange that takes place in the processes of utilizing, programming, designing and building. The UdN will be an ideal partner for workshops and community building.

Haus der JugendHaus der Jugend on Wilhelmsburg. Arne Bens, the head of the program, has been positive to the suggestion of a collaboration with young people using the center. They would be happy to work with me and help me to try to incorporate the bicycle project with their youth program.

Freizeithaus Kirchdorf-SüdThe community center here hosts cultural functions and events. They also have an exchange ring which could be integrated into the cargo bicycle network.

Interkultureller GartenCommunity gardens would benefit from the use of a cargo bicycle. They could be used to transport soil and tools, and after harvesting, crates of vegetables. Since such initiatives are in themselves a local network, they will be an ideal match for this project.

This project is focused on the district Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg. It addresses the issue of an inadequate infrastructure available to residents to transport their daily goods. Many people living in Wilhelmsburg need to take a bus to do their shopping. The idea for this project was sparked by the large number of shopping carts spread over the entire island. You will find discarded shopping carts almost everywhere. Many residents use the shopping carts of their supermarkets to transport groceries home, later discarding the carts on the street. Some supermarkets have implemented a magnetic wheel brake to stop this misuse of their property. This, however, neither stops people taking shopping carts nor does it address the actual problem of a lack of transportation possibilities.As an avid cyclist, artist and designer I have come up with a suggestion which I plan to realize and implement over the course of this year. Collaborating with residents in workshops I will build cargo bicycles. To do this I will use scrap bicycles, which are readily available from around the city and scrap parts such as discarded shopping carts. By using a DIY style of building it will be possible even for people with little to no fabrication experience to build an original and creative vehicle. When these very low cost cargo bicycles have been made I will incorporate them in a rental system so that they can be used by many different people. By involving locals in the process of creation and managing I will give them a local sense of identity and a sense of responsibility to the project. The project will be realized when the cargo bicycle system has become self sufficient and is used and managed by the people who created it.

Markus Hüppauf, Master of Design

Cargo Bicycle Transport SystemAnalysis>>>>>

Honig FabrikHonig Fabrik is a cultural institution that houses many projects. In association with Honig Fabrik, the Fahrrad-stadt Wilhelmsburg has often organized programs. For example they have built objects such as bicycle racks out of scrap parts, or also unusual bicycles, such as three wheelers. These bicycles were then used during bicycle awareness days.

Stiftung Berufliche Bildung

Besides the Honig Fabrik the SBB and the AIW both have bicycle and metal repair and fabrica-tion facilities. They will be great partners as the project progresses and more bicycles need to be fabricated.

Wilhelmsburg: Reiherstiegviertel und Kirchdorf-Süd

One of the inspirations for this project was the „Lastenradkollektiv“ of Vienna, Austria. This collective has organized a fleet of ten bicycles and numerous hitches which are all available to be borrowed free of charge to those people who need to transport anything from their shopping, to their whole apartment. This allows people to be mobile in the city without relying on cars or trucks.

Currently there is a group organizing and building a project running along the same lines as my proposal. In association with “Open Design City,” “Ideen Werkstatt” and “Velogistic.net“ they will organize workshops to build cargo bicycles. The designs are all open source and will be built to purpose in their workshops. Their goals are the up-cycling of used parts and the further spread of cargo bicycle usage with the aim of starting to find a solution to the peak-oil problem.

It is a worldwide phenomenon that people have a desire to transport goods without relying on the internal combustion engine. In blogs, chartrooms and communities the information for building and using such bicycles is spreading all the time. People show their designs and learn from each other. This international community of cargo bicycle supporters shows not only the demand which is obviously there, they also represent a think-tank the size of which no research department can match.

Till Wolfer, a HFBK graduate, designed and built a cargo bicycle with N55 design. This bicycle is exceptional for the fact that it needs no more than a hand drill and hacksaw to build. With no welding or grinding necessary it could be built in a living room. Wolfer is planning an open workshop to build this bicycle with the Universität der Nachbarschaften this coming spring. We hope to link our projects to create a broader support base and stronger network.

Postfossil Mobil >>>Berlin

Shopping Cart Bicycles >>>World wide

Till Wolfer and N55 >>>Denmark-Hamburg

Lastenradkollektiv >>>Wien

Markus Hüppauf, Master of Design

There are currently many groups working towards an alternative to conventional modes of transportation. this is especially true in urban areas as they become ever more congested and we become more aware of the dangers of air and noise pollution. These motivations along with the shift in information dissemination caused by the normalization of the internet has sparked a grassroots bicycle revolution. The inspiration and source of information that this international network represents will be invaluable to the development of the local network on Wilhelmsburg.For this project the bicycles themselves should be a creative outlet for the people who build them. There are many examples of bicycle “hacks” that use shopping carts or other scrap parts as materials to produce an attractive and functional final product. I will use these examples as inspiration for the participants in the workshops. I believe seeing the wide range of possibilities will give participants confidence to build something without being afraid that it is “wrong.” Rather than coming up with one perfect design, the building part of this project aims at producing many different bicycle designs. Although each one will function, beyond transporting goods, they will inspire and involve the people building them. I am confident that some very original bicycles will result.

Cargo Bicycle Transport SystemCase Studies>>>>>

Velogistic.net is a website with which cargo bicycles can be found and rented.

Markus Hüppauf, Master of Design

It is vital that this project grows, rather than be implemented as a system, superimposed onto the existing infrastructure. This project will start with one bicycle, and through a series of workshops and collaborations with various institutions on the island, branch out and grow into the community. I predict that the project will take root and become a part of the local identity. This project is not only about creating a transportation network it is an exercise in community identity building. Rather than implement a plan from above this project will seed and grow with the people who benefit from it. If the project should out-grow the region, the working network could also be used as a blueprint for similar networks elsewhere.

Cargo Bicycle Transport SystemGrowth>>>>>

The second category of store will sponsor a bicycle as a form of ad-vertisement. A bicycle shop would easily be able to maintain such a bicycle. The people who borrow the bicycle would then build a re-lationship to the store, increasing its buisness. This could also apply to any local buisness which would like to increase its connection to the community.

Peer to PeerHaving built their own cargo bicycles the group of private people will be able to lend their bike to friends and those people they know and trust.This will take place on a private level so as to minimize the amount of responsibility to the indivi-dual. At this point the project becomes ever more visible on the streets. Although further small workshops will be possible, a publicly shared network is a later goal.

SeedingOne bike as a starting point.Built from parts of an old bike and a shopping cart, the first unit serves as an initializing marketing object. It can be used to show people how the cargo bike could look and how ea-sily it can be made. It also gives the project a first presence on the streets of Wilhelmsburg.

Small Scale WorkshopsHaving found a small group of inte-rested people, the next stage can be started. Together with these (private) people, we will build, as a group, one bicycle per person. Each participant will bring their own expertise, know-ledge, esthetics and requirements to the project, resulting in many unique examples.

Small local stores will be addressed in the second stage. Their bicycles would be built in association with one of the many local repair and fabrication initiatives on the island. The patron stores would function as a link between the private and the public sphere. The bicyc-les would still be in the hands of a local private store, which is responsible for its maintenance, however the bicycles will be made available by them to patrons and guests at the store. Two different types of store will be in this network.

The first category of store will keep the bicycle mostly for the use by patrons. or example a hardware store would benefit if, after buying two buckets of paint, there is a possibility to transport the purchases home. Likewise small grocery stores or beverage wholesalers would benefit from such a bicycle.

Image BuildingFor this project to succeed it is important that the image of the cargo bicycles is positive and becomes accepted. Through public interven-tions a consciousness for their presence can be fostered. For example by adding a sound system to one of the bicycles music can be played at events such as skate competitions or festivals. This will speak to youth and teenagers, giving cycling and cargo bicycles a coolness factor. While likewise involvement in cultural and childrens events can help inte-grate the project with parents and families.

Going PublicOnce the cargo bicycle network has started to branch out and become more accepted throughout the community, I will start to integrate larger public and private institutions. Schools, kinder-gartens, youth centers and community gardens could all benefit from involvement in such a project. Building cargo bicycles will teach youths new skills and be a positive supplementation to their school learning and a fun addition to their recreational time in the youth center. Programs such as community gardens which alrea-dy foster a sense of belonging and sharing would benefit from becoming part to a larger network that connects them to the rest of the community.

The Big PictureThe projected goal of the project is a far reaching and interconnected network of businesses, individuals, and institutions. As the project grows the dynamic between the different participants will change. In the last stage I foresee supermarkets and big businesses becoming directly involved with the sponsorship of the program. It is in their interest to give people an alternative to using shopping carts as a form of transportation. In connection with larger housing communities cargo bicycles can be parked at the location of a residence, they would then be available to everyone who lives in that house. The bicycle would be used to travel to the supermarket and then be parked at the house again. This would be most convenient to all involved. At this level of production fabrication would be done on a more standardized yet still local level. By involving supermarkets, local stores, peer to peer lending and local production and repair facilities the network is completed. All the different scenarios come together and form a sustainable network of non-motorized transportation within Wilhelmsburg.

Local School

Haus der Jugend

Interkultureller Garten

Social NetworkingEach location that hosts a bi-cycle workshop will also have the possibility to keep one of the bicycles for themselves. Since these locations have social agendas and active programs running currently, these bicycles could also be made available to their participants.