Cycling culture is an emerging topic within the cycling research discourse. It aims to summarize the ‘essence’ of a specific city or region not only regarding its cycling behaviour but from a systems-based perspective. Despite the growing interest, a coherent definition has not been reached yet, mainly because culture as a concept is hard to grasp and its influencing factors are constantly changing. Therefore, more research is needed to improve the understanding of the concept. This study introduces a new angle to the discourse by exploring the role of planners in a cycling culture. The aim is to shift from a results-based discussion, which currently prevails, towards a more process-based analysis. The research questions are: ‘What does the process behind the planning look like?’ and ‘Who is building the cycling culture?’.

To investigate this, the research focuses on Oulu, a city in Northern Finland, which is also known as the winter cycling capital with a cycling share of 20% in summer and 10% in winter. The study does not focus on winter cycling itself but rather wants to highlight the background efforts that enabled this success. A key factor in Oulu’s cycling development has been its transport planners. Mauri Myllylä shaped the city’s infrastructure from the 60s onwards with his path-breaking devotion for cycling and Harri Vaarala has continued to influence both Oulu’s cycling infrastructure and its national and international recognition in recent years.

By conducting expert interviews with current and previous planners and other key stakeholders in Oulu, this research sheds more light on the internal processes of building a cycling culture. The main contribution to the broader mobility discourse is a shift from result-focused towards process-focused research, fostering a better understanding of the role planners play in shaping the cycling culture in their city and beyond that.