ABSTRACT
In this chapter we ask: How did Copenhagen sustain high rates of cycling through the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century? We examine the parallel development of social democracy, an early iteration of modern Left/Progressive politics, and the evolution of cycling in the early part of the twentieth century. Next, we describe a period of political ambivalence towards cycling during the mid-twentieth century. This period was accompanied by an increased emphasis on cars. In the 1970s the Left/Progressives reclaimed Copenhagen for cycling. By the early 2000s cycling had become mainstream and was even part of the Neoliberal green growth branding of Copenhagen. This short history of cycling and car politics is a springboard to the contemporary politics of mobility in Copenhagen, and sets up the context for the remainder of the book.
