Vélomobility of Migrant and Asylum Seeking Women in Germany. Towards and Inclusive City

This research project, viewed through an intersectional feminist lens, examines how socially inclusive the green (smart) urban velomobility system and related mobility policies in Freiburg im Breisgau truly are. Freiburg is often portrayed as a particularly bicycle-friendly city with a high share of cycling. However, the study reveals that not everyone benefits equally from this reputation: access to safe, affordable, and comfortable cycling remains uneven across social groups. The project aims to draw attention to these inequalities in mobility and accessibility and to emphasize the need for just and sustainable solutions that enable all urban residents—regardless of income, origin, gender, age, or physical ability—to participate equally in urban life. The first work package explored the subjective experiences of refugee and immigrant women before and after learning to cycle in the host country. It examined how cycling changed their access to urban spaces and their everyday mobility patterns. The second work package adopted an action research approach to study the actual and po-tential use of smart velomobility options—such as bike-sharing systems—by the same target group. Together with participants, community-based and needs-oriented solutions were co-developed to foster social inclusion and promote a vision of equitable, smart, and sustainable urban velomobility in Freiburg.