What is the problem represented to be in bike sharing policy? Comparative case study of Italian cities

Abstract

Bike sharing systems (BSSs) have become a common feature of urban mobility policy, promoted by city officials as tools for advancing sustainable urban mobility. Yet, their effects on modal shift and social and environmental outcomes remain contested, with empirical studies suggesting that many claimed benefits are overstated or unevenly distributed. In this context, this thesis examines the rationales for BSS adoption in medium-sized Italian cities by analysing municipal bike sharing policy.

The research adopts Carol Bacchi’s What is the Problem Represented to be? framework, which considers policy as a discursive practice that constructs problems rather than merely responding to them. Six case study cities—Verona, Trieste, Brescia, Padova, Parma, and Reggio Emilia—were examined. Empirical material was collected through expert interviews with ten municipal civil servants responsible for BSS planning and implementation, and analysed to identify commonalities, silences, and differences across cases.

Findings show that BSS policy is underpinned by three problem representations: environmental sustainability of mobility systems, car-centric mobility cultures, and inter-city competition. A secondary problematization of financial sustainability also emerged, with some cities switching to dockless BSSs to lower costs. Across cases, BSS policymaking appeared opportunistic, driven by external funding availability and policy replication, with no integration of equity and environmental objectives.

The thesis concludes that BSSs in the case study cities function primarily as symbolic instruments to project eco-consciousness, cycling-friendliness and a modern urban image. While such symbolism can generate political momentum for further pro-cycling policies, without integration into a coherent mobility strategy it is unlikely that BSSs can deliver substantive modal shift or equity outcomes.