Mikael Colville-Andersen

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Mikael Colville-Andersen
Colville-Andersen in 2019
Born (1968-01-29) 29 January 1968 (age 56)
Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada
Alma materNational Film School of Denmark
Occupation(s)Urban designer, public speaker, television host
Notable workCopenhagenize Design Company; The Life-Sized City (TV)

Mikael Colville-Andersen (born 29 January 1968) is a Canadian-Danish[1] urban designer and urban mobility expert.[2][3][4][5][6] He was the CEO of Copenhagenize Design Company, which he founded in 2009 in Copenhagen, and he works with cities and governments around the world[7][8][9] in coaching them towards becoming more bicycle-friendly.[10] He is the host of the urbanism documentary television series The Life-Sized City,[11][12] which premiered in 2017 on TVOntario and in 2018 on various other international channels including Finland's national broadcaster YLE[13] and Italian broadcaster La Effe.[14] Season 1 of The Life-Sized City was nominated for five Canadian Screen Awards in 2018.[15]

Career[edit]

Mikael Colville-Andersen during the ISPO Bike 2013 Conference in Munich

Colville-Andersen is known for his philosophy about simplifying urban planning and urban cycling and how cities should be designed instead of engineered.[16][17] He is at the forefront of utilising observational techniques inspired by the likes of William H. Whyte for pedestrian and bicycle planning and has been called "the Modern Day Jane Jacobs".[18] He employs anthropology and sociology in his work to develop liveable cities and, in 2012, he spearheaded the largest study of cyclist behaviour ever undertaken – The Choreography of an Urban Intersection – tracking the desire lines of 16,631 cyclists through an intersection in Copenhagen over a 12-hour period.[19][20]

His approach and philosophy have led to him being referred to as "the Richard Dawkins of cycling" by Peter Walker of The Guardian in 2014 interview with Esquire magazine,[21] "the Pope of urban cycling" by Canadian newspaper La Presse [22] and Austrian newspaper Der Standard,[23] among others and "the Bieber of urban cycling" in an interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.[24]

Colville-Andersen has been instrumental in orchestrating the global bicycle boom, starting with what was later called "the Photo That Launched a Million Bicycles"[25][26][27][28][29] in 2006, which led to the Copenhagen Cycle Chic photography and streetstyle blog in 2007.[30] Regarding his early work with the Cycle Chic movement, The Guardian dubbed him "The Sartorialist on Two Wheels".[31]

He coined the phrase cycle chic in 2007,[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] as well as the word Copenhagenize in the same year.[42][43][44] He has also coined and popularised other phrases such as Bicycle Urbanism, Viking Biking, Citizen Cyclist and he started The Slow Bicycle Movement in 2008.[45]

Before embarking on a career as an urban designer, he was a film director[46] and screenwriter. His debut feature film, Zakka West (2003), was the first indie film in Denmark[47][48][49][50] and premiered at the Copenhagen International Film Festival. He has written and directed several short films, including the award-winning short Breaking Up (1999), and founded the first pan-European organisation for screenwriters – Euroscreenwriters – in 1997.

As producer for The Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) bicentenary website for Hans Christian Andersen, he and his team won the Prix Italia award at the Radiotelevisione Italiana 57th Prix Italia for Best Public Service Website.[51][52][53]

In 2013, he appeared in Edinburgh to help celebrate that city's Bike Week.[54]

In 2014, he was cited as one of the influential urban planners suggesting that radical solutions were needed if improvement was to be seen in respect to congestion problems in the city of York.[55] He has also explained that cycle parking is needed for cities to be cycle-friendly.[56] He was booked as a keynote speaker at the Velo-city Global conference in Adelaide in May 2014.[57]

Volunteer work in Ukraine[edit]

In May 2022, Colville-Andersen founded a non-profit organization Bikes4Ukraine.[58] The organization's first goal was to deliver bicycles to help uncongest Lviv's public transportation. The city had had accepted over 200 000 refugees since the start of the 2022 Russian invasion, which put a strain on public transit. Local urban planners contacted Colville-Andersen to suggest the bicycle solution which lead to the founding of the organization. On 3 July 2022, the first bicycle donation event took place in Copenhagen. By the end of that day, the organization received over 100 bicycles, which were sent to 3 Ukrainian cities: Lviv, Bucha and Chernihiv. As of early 2024, Bikes4Ukraine has delivered over 1000 bikes to over 35 cities and towns in Ukraine.[59]

In January 2024, Colville-Andersen announced he is designing a Nordic-style trauma-informed therapy garden for people suffering from PTSD in Kyiv. The project is expected to be finished by June 2024. The initial site for the garden was located in the Podil neighbourhood, however, it was changed to be in the northern part of Kyrylivskyi Hai [uk] park, near a psychiatric hospital.[60] Colville-Andersen's team plans to work together with the hospital's staff to create a learning hub for mental health professionals from all over the country. The project in Kyiv is a pilot one, Colville-Andersen has confirmed he and his team have early-stage plans for building more gardens like these in Lviv and Mykolaiv.[61]

Exhibitions[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Copenhagenize – the definitive guide to global bicycle urbanism, Island Press Publishing Ltd, 2018, 296 pages. ISBN 978-1610919388.
  • Cycle Chic, Thames & Hudson Publishing Ltd, 2012, 288 pages. ISBN 978-0500516102.
  • Cargo Bike Nation, Blurb Publishing, 2013, 194 pages. ISBN 978-1320091824.
  • Cyclists and Cycling Around the World, Fondo Editorial, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, 2013, Chapter: Branding Cycling – Mainstreaming A Good thing, 334 pages. ISBN 978-612-4146-55-8
  • Backstory 5: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1990s, University of California Press, 27 October 2009, Chapter: Interview with Jean-Claude Carrière, Editor – Patrick McGilligan, 264 pages, ISBN 978-0520251052

Awards[edit]

  • 2012 Brazilian Youth Award for the Escolas de Bicicletas[69] – bicycles in schools project in São Paulo, Brazil

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Béland, Gabriel (28 May 2011). ""Montréal doit montrer la voie", dit le pape du vélo urbain". La Presse. Montreal. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  2. ^ Franziska, Queling (14 February 2014). "In Praise of the Bicycle – Progress – don't regress – for quality of life in cities". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  3. ^ "On urban cycling. Mikael Colville-Andersen". Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Movimento 'cycle chic', que defende pedalar com estilo, ganha as ruas do Rio". O Globo (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro. 28 December 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  5. ^ Bauldry, Jess (14 May 2014). "Making Luxembourg bike friendly". Luxemburger Wort. Luxembourg. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  6. ^ Connolly, Mark (28 January 2015). "The Future of Bicycling in Edmonton". Edmonton: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  7. ^ Stäuble, Mario (1 November 2012). "Zürich ist Lichtjahre im Hintertreffen". Tages Anzeiger. Zurich. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  8. ^ Finnerty, Mike (27 June 2012). "Ambassador of Urban Cycling: Mikael Colville-Andersen". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  9. ^ Babin, Tom (24 May 2012). "Chain Reaction". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Copenhagenize Design Company client list". Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  11. ^ "The Life-Sized City". TVO. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  12. ^ "The Life-Sized City". IMDB. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  13. ^ "The Life-Sized City (Finnish title: Ihmisen kaupunki)". YLE. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  14. ^ "The Life-Sized City (Italian: Racconti dalle citta del futuro)". La Effe. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  15. ^ "Nominees for 2018 Canadian Screen Awards". Canadian Screen Awards. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  16. ^ "Bicycle Urbanism by Design from TED x Zurich 2012". YouTube. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  17. ^ "Bicycle Urbanism by Design: The Importance of Designing Streets Instead of Engineering Them at Architecture IO". London. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  18. ^ Payne, Tom (26 August 2013). "Mikael Colville-Andersen – The Modern Day Jane Jacobs". Urban Times. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  19. ^ Suhr, Agnete; Colville-Andersen, Mikael; Madruga, Pedro; Kujanpää, Risto; Maddox, Kristen (1 May 2013), The Choreography of an Urban Intersection (PDF), Copenhagen: Copenhagenize Design Company
  20. ^ Maddox, Kristen (19 August 2013). "Digging Into Dearborn Data: Patterns and Behavior on the Two-Way Bike Lane". Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  21. ^ Merrett, Jim (15 June 2014). "How Cycling Became Britain's Most Fashionable Sport". Esquire Magazine (UK). Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  22. ^ Béland, Gabriel (28 May 2011). ""Montréal doit montrer la voie", dit le pape du vélo urbain". La Presse. Montreal. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  23. ^ Schilly, Julia; von Usslar, Maria (15 June 2013). "Radfahr-Papst: 'Wien ist altmodisch und irgendwo 1952 stecken geblieben'". Der Standard. Vienna. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  24. ^ Finnerty, Mike (27 June 2012). "Ambassador of Urban Cycling: Mikael Colville-Andersen". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  25. ^ Grice, Samantha (3 May 2013). "Cycle chic: Style on two wheels". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  26. ^ Safe, Georgina (6 August 2010). "Cycle Chic". The Australian. Sydney. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  27. ^ Payne, Tom (26 August 2013). "Mikael Colville-Andersen – The Modern Day Jane Jacobs". Urban Times. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  28. ^ Babin, Tom (24 May 2012). "Chain Reaction". Calgary Herald. Calgary. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  29. ^ Cahn, Megan (26 November 2010). "Copenhagen Cycle Chic: Redefining Bike Culture One Turn at a Time". Triba Space. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  30. ^ "How Cycling Became Britain's Most Fashionable Sport". Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  31. ^ Reid, Carlton (26 June 2008). "Two Wheels". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  32. ^ Payne, Tom (26 August 2013). "Mikael Colville-Andersen – The Modern Day Jane Jacobs". Urban Times. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  33. ^ O'Reilly, Michael (27 September 2014). "Mikael Colville-Andersen: Australian cycling is 'the farthest behind in this conversation'". Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  34. ^ Sexton, Mike (1 June 2014). "Australian cities 'playing catch-up' on modern urban planning and bike lanes, Velo-City conference told". Adelaide: Australian Broadcasting Corp. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  35. ^ Harding, Oliver-Michael (2 June 2011). "Cycle Chic: Denmark's bicycle ambassador is bringing sexy back to cycling". Montreal: Nightlife.ca. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  36. ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (3 September 2008). "The Guardian – Cycling is officially chic". London. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  37. ^ "Inframe.tv – Interview with – Mikael Colville-Andersen, Cycle Chic". Melbourne: InFrame.tv. Archived from the original on 11 October 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  38. ^ Walker, Harriet (18 May 2011). "What your bicycle says about you". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  39. ^ "Movimento 'cycle chic', que defende pedalar com estilo, ganha as ruas do Rio". O Globo (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro. 28 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  40. ^ ""Cykel Chic – January 2007 (page 25)" (PDF). Magasinet KBH (in Danish). Copenhagen. 1 January 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2015.[permanent dead link]
  41. ^ "United States Patent and Trademark Office listing for Cycle Chic". Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  42. ^ "Australian cities 'playing catch-up' on modern urban planning and bike lanes, Velo-City conference told". ABC News. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  43. ^ "Top 10 Innovations Denmark is Proud of". Danish Institute for Study Abroad. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  44. ^ "The Origins of Copenhagenize". Copenhagenize Design Co. 1 January 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  45. ^ Levitz, Jennifer (16 August 2013). "These Bikers Race for Last Place – Cyclists say slow riding is response to hard-core fitness world". The Wall Street Journal. New York City. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  46. ^ "Internet Movie Database for Mikael Colville-Andersen". IMDb. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  47. ^ Neiiendam, Jacob. "Generation Zakka". Politiken. Copenhagen. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  48. ^ Skotte, Kim (29 July 2003). "Klar til den store filmfest". Politiken. Copenhagen. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  49. ^ "Zakka West". The Danish Film Institute. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  50. ^ "Zakka West (2003)". Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  51. ^ "Winners 2005 Prix Italia" (PDF). Milan: Radiotelevisione italiana. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  52. ^ "DRs H. C. Andersen-website og radiodokumentar får Prix Italia". Danish Broadcasting Corp. (DR). Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  53. ^ "H. C. Andersen-website vinder Prix Italia". Copenhagen: ComputerWorld.dk. 26 September 2005. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  54. ^ Pease, Victoria (18 June 2013). "Inspirational tales and bike breakfasts to celebrate Bike Week". STV News. STV. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  55. ^ Robinson, Andrew (27 October 2014). "'Close York to cars' say urban planners". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  56. ^ Otzen, Ellen (14 October 2014). "Copenhagen's piles of bicycles". BBC News.
  57. ^ Kanki-Knight, Gordon (31 October 2013). "Danish cycling expert Mikael Colville-Andersen wins support in his fight against helmet laws". The Advertiser. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  58. ^ "CVR - Det Centrale Virksomhedsregister". CVR - Det Centrale Virksomhedsregister (in Danish). 2 May 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  59. ^ "Our Mission". Bikes4Ukraine. 19 May 2023. Archived from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  60. ^ Colville-Andersen, Mikael (15 January 2024). "Designing and Building a Nordic Therapy Garden in Kyiv — to Help Mitigate the Mental Health Crisis in Ukraine". Medium. Archived from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  61. ^ Colville-Andersen, Mikael. "Nordic Therapy Gardens for Ukraine". Mikael Colville-Andersen. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  62. ^ "Royal Danish Embassy in Ireland – Dublin Cycle Chic". Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  63. ^ "Dreams on Wheels: Danish Cycling Culture For Urban Sustainability". Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  64. ^ "Monumental Motion -A Cycling Life in the Capital of Denmark". Dublin: Dublin City Cycling. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  65. ^ "Monumental Motion Exhibition At Ethnographic Museum, Dubrovnik". Dubrovnik: JustDubrovnik.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  66. ^ "Royal Danish Embassy in Estonia – Photo exhibition: Monumental Motion". Tallinn: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Denmark). Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  67. ^ "Danish Presidency of the EU 2012 – Photo exhibition: 'Monumental Motion – A Cycling Life in the Capital of Denmark'". The Danish Government. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  68. ^ "The Good City – Visions of a City on the Move". Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  69. ^ "São Paulo terá as primeiras Escolas de Bicicleta do mundo". Sao Paulo: The City of Sao Paulo. Retrieved 21 December 2014.[permanent dead link]

External links[edit]

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