Towards a Multidimensional Assessment of Urban Bikeability: Integrating GIS and User Perception

Cycling is widely acknowledged as a key component of sustainable urban mobility, but its adoption remains limited in many high-motorization Mediterranean cities. In these contexts, bikeability cannot be evaluated only through cycling infrastructure provision, but should be interpreted as the result of the interaction between spatial, environmental, and perceptual dimensions. This paper proposes a multidimensional framework for the assessment of urban bikeability through the integration of spatial evidence and user perception data. The analysis is applied to the case study of Catania, combining the current and planned cycling network derived from the official Biciplan with the distribution of vegetated areas obtained from regional cartography as a proxy for environmental quality and survey-based evidence on mobility habits, perceived barriers and cycling incentives. The findings point out a fragmented existing cycling network and a broader but still spatially uneven planned configuration. Moreover, they highlight an unequal distribution of vegetated areas, with more extensive green coverage in peripheral zones than in the dense urban core. Survey findings show that cycling still plays a marginal role in everyday mobility and the most relevant barriers are safety-related concerns due to the interaction with motorized traffic and inadequate infrastructures. The study reveals a mismatch between planning intentions and experienced cycling environments by users. Thus, improving bikeability requires an integrated approach which combines infrastructure provision, environmental quality and perceived safety. The proposed framework can be transferred to other urban contexts characterized by high motorization rates and limited cycling uptake.