Malmö by bike.

THE BICYCLE MAKES sense in cities. With rising urbanization, our cities need modern mobility solutions, and moving around on two wheels proves time and again that it can offer results.

Investment in bicycle infrastructure is a modern and intelligent move. Plenty of research shows the social, economic, environmental, and health benefits of urban cycling. Studies from Denmark tell us that for every kilometer cycled, society enjoys a net profit of 23 cents, whereas for every kilometer driven by car we suffer a net loss of 16 cents.

Many cities get this. Many don’t. And many more are somewhere in between, wavering on how much to invest, where to invest it, and how, exactly, to make themselves welcoming to cycling and the benefits it brings.

With each edition, the Copenhagen­ize Design Company’s Index of the most bike-friendly cities in the world evolves. In 2011 we ranked 80 global cities; in 2013 we ranked 150.

This year, we considered cities with a regional population over 600,000 (with a few exceptions because of their political and regional importance, and to keep things interesting). We ranked 122 cities. The top 20 are (2013 ranking in brackets):

1. Copenhagen (2)
2. Amsterdam (1)
3. Utrecht (3)
4. Strasbourg (new)
5. Eindhoven (8)
6. 

   Malmö by bike.

   Malmö (9)
   The Lowdown: Sweden’s third-largest city has been wise to look west to Copenhagen for inspiration, as opposed to north to Gothenburg and Stockholm. The main city in Sweden’s most bicycle-friendly region—Skåne—Malmö has been insistent on reestablishing the bicycle on the urban landscape.A highlight since 2013 was the opening of a bicycle parking facility at the train station that makes even Copenhagen look awkward. Since 2013 there has been continued focus on investment. Many of the city’s projects over the past few years remain impressive when measured against global competition. Its “No Ridiculous Car Trips” behavioral campaign is still a benchmark for communication.

   The city remains balanced on helmet promotion, in contrast to Stockholm and Gothenburg, which serves to encourage cycling. Despite a rise in the ranking, we have heard of a waning interest from politicians to keep moving forward. Investment risks being reallocated and plans for more visionary projects are becoming fewer and farther between. When you come this far, you don’t stop.

   Getting Better: Still, Malmö insists, in some places, on substandard infrastructure solutions that do not encourage the development of a coherent network and, by extension, an increase in cycling levels. More investment will ensure Malmö’s leadership role in Sweden, as well as among cities of a similar size in the rest of Europe.

   Not capitalizing on that would be silly. When a city has been so visionary, it is a harder fall when the wheels stop rolling.

7. Nantes (6)
8. Bordeaux (8)
9. Antwerp (7)
10. Seville (4)
11. Barcelona (17)
12. Berlin (16)
13. Ljubljana (new)
14. Buenos Aires (new)
15. Dublin (10)
16. Vienna (new)
17. Paris (20)
18. Minneapolis (new)
19. Hamburg (15)
20. Montreal (13)

The index was created by the Copenhagen­ize Design Company, and the text above was written by its CEO Mikael Colville-Andersen.

Malmö moving into sixth place is a testimony to the city’s proud persistent pursuit toward sustainability and green answers to questions about environment and climate change. The overarching theme for ECSS 2015 Malmö, Sustainable Sport, is well in tune with that of its host city.