Last year, Ingwar Perowanowitsch’s film “Cycling Cities” showed how European cities are taking different approaches to the transition towards a more cycle-friendly and liveable environment. Now the story is also available in print: “Cycling Cities – The Quiet Revolution of Cities”, the first book by the journalist, filmmaker and cycling campaigner, was published in early September.
For his documentary of the same name, Perowanowitsch set off from Freiburg in May 2025 with his bicycle and camera and spent two months travelling through Europe. The route took him via Paris, Ghent, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Groningen and Hamburg to Copenhagen. Along the way, he spoke to transport planners, policy-makers and campaigners about how the respective cities had changed and which measures had contributed to these changes. The 84-minute film was released at the end of 2025 and can still be viewed for free on YouTube:
From the film to the book
In “Cycling Cities – The Quiet Revolution in Cities”, Perowanowitsch now explores the topic further in book form. Here, too, the focus is on how cities can redistribute their public space – moving away from planning that is predominantly geared towards cars, towards more space for cyclists, pedestrians and public life.
Using cities such as Paris, Utrecht and Copenhagen as examples, Perowanowitsch shows how this transformation can be achieved and what developments were necessary to bring it about. The bicycle plays a central role in this, but is not the sole focus – rather, the fundamental aim is to make cities more liveable and better attuned to the needs of their residents.
“Cycling Cities – The Quiet Revolution in Cities” was published on 7 September 2026, comprises 256 pages and can be purchased here for 25 euros in the hardback edition in German.
