Best Burbs for Bikes

Minneapolis + Montreal

By Yardi Blog Staff on Jul 21, 2015 in News

What do Minneapolis and Montréal have in common? Other than harsh winters, a serious case of love for bikes, say the people at Copenhagenize Design Company, an urban design consultancy from the land of bikeability – Copenhagen, of course. According to the 2015 edition of the Copenhagenize Design Company Index of the most bike-friendly cities in the world, Minneapolis and Montréal are the only two North American cities that placed into the Top 20 bike friendliest cities in the world. Buenos Aires also made it to the top 20 to represent South America, while the remaining 17 spots were snagged by European cities such as Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Paris and Vienna.

Beyond the bikelane

Copenhagenize put together a list 122 global cities with metro populations of over 600,000 (or significant political and regional importance) that are putting serious effort into reestablishing biking as a feasible, accepted and practical form of transport. As such, selected cities are given scores from 0 to 4 in 13 categories, considered essential for a truly bike-friendly city:

• advocacy for biking,
• pervasiveness of facilities (bike racks, stair ramps, space allotment on public transport, etc.)
• bicycle culture within a city or its relegation to subcultures
• cycling infrastructure
• perception of safety by cyclists
• political involvement
• social acceptance from drivers and the community at large
• traffic calming (special biking zones, lower speed limits, priority for pedestrians and cyclists over cars)
• gender split
• modal share of residents using bikes as a mode of transportation instead of cars or mass transit
• modal share growth since 2006 (considered the year urban cycling started gaining momentum)

Minneapolis

Newcomer Minneapolis is the only US city on the 2015 Copenhagenize Index, and a welcome surprise, after the US’ notable absence from the previous index, released in 2013. Minneapolis boasts 200 miles of recreational bike lanes winding through the city, of which 92 miles are off-street bike paths. Minneapolis also has the second-highest number of bicycle commuters of the larger US cities, surpassed only by Portland. The city is so bike-friendly that the league of American Bicyclists rewarded Minneapolis with the Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Community Award. Minneapolis even bikes in the winter! If you’re only visiting the larger Twin City or don’t want to shell out on a bike yet, affordable rented bikes are available through the city’s affordable Nice Ride bike sharing network. A 30-day pass will only set you back $15, while a one-year membership costs a meager $65 – that’s just 30 cents a day.

Want to live in the most bike-friendly city in the US? Check out LPM Apartments (pictured at left) in Central Minneapolis, a 354-unit LEED Silver-certified high rise in the Loring Park neighborhood. Owned by Magellan Development Group and managed by Magellan Property Management, LPM came online in 2014 offering downtown Minneapolis views. The 31-story apartment community boasts 40,000 square feet of amenities that include a bicycle shop and bike storage of course. Other swanky amenities include two pools, two spas, outdoor yoga area, guest suite, landscaped deck, and an indoor dog play room with lounge and dog wash area.

Montréal

Canada’s second largest city has been part of the Copenhagenize Top 20 bike-friendly cities since its first edition in 2015. Although it has since slipped from the eighth position to number 20, the city of a hundred steeples is holding on to its top 20 status. Montréal boasts 383 miles of bikeways, while the greater Montréal area features a jaw-dropping 1,100 miles. In fact, Montréal is so in love with biking, there’s even a dedicated street style blog featuring exclusively biking Montréalers.

Bike Ride on the Lachine Canal, Montreal – video by Tourisme Montréal

Want to enjoy Montréal’s cool biking culture? Check out the CVL Group’s Place Kingsley Appartements and Parc Kildare Appartements in Côte Saint-Luc. With Montréal’s extensive metro bike lane network you can bike downtown or to the nearest mass transit station. Place Kingsley (at right) even boasts views of Montréal, as well as of Côte Saint-Luc and the river. The high-rise is located in an area abounding with parks and bike paths of course. Place Kingsley also offers bike storage, while pet-friendly Parc Kildare also features a swimming pool.