Active Towns

In this episode, I reconnect with Tim Gill and meet Alice Ferguson for a discussion about a recent report they collaborated on titled “Streets for Play, Streets for Freedom,” which calls for a radical, child-centered approach to decision-making around streets and transport planning. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Streets for Play, Stre...

In this episode, I reconnect with Tom Flood and Grant Ennis and meet Brent Toderian to discuss their new collaborative effort, the Urban Truth Collective: The truth about cities in an age of disinformation. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 The Urban Truth Collective website 👉 The Urban Truth Collective on Bluesky 👉 The Urban Truth Coll...

In this episode, I reconnect with Ross Chapin, author of Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small-Scale Community in a Large-Scale World, for an in-depth discussion about this powerful approach to creating more livable communities. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Ross Chapin's website for resources 👉 My Pocket Neighborhoods video from 2017...

In this episode, I connect with Jacob Davis, host of The Cities in Motion Podcast, for a discussion about what led him to want to host an urbanism and sustainable communities podcast that channels the tenets of the Strong Towns and Active Towns movements. We also profile the opening of the new Wishbone Bridge, which closes a critical gap on the Butler Hike & Bike Trail around Ladybird Lake in...

This is the recording of my Live discussion with Charles “Chuck” Marohn, Founder and President of Strong Towns, about their Mission Accomplished: End Highway Expansions Now initiative, and what we as a nation and at the local level should be focusing our transportation dollars on. For more information: 👉 Strong Towns Mission Accomplished website If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, pleas...

In this episode, I reconnect with a dear friend from my Boulder triathlon days, Dieter Bruhn, and his relatively new wife, Grace. We discuss the Hanoi dance scene and contrast the culture of activity in Vietnam with Boulder, Colorado. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 One World Training website If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast...

This is the Livestream recording of my Follow-Up Conversation with Prof. Wes Marshall, about his impactful book Killed By A Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies our Transportation System. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Wes Marshall's website 👉 My Book Launch episode with Wes in 2024 👉 Buy Killed By A Traff...

In this episode, I connect with Diane Alisa Tuft, author of A Love Letter to Suburbia: How to Restore the American Village, to discuss her journey into urbanism and her advocacy for walkable communities and the return of villages. As part of this journey, we discuss how a specific Not Just Bikes video opened her eyes to what was making her so frustrated and miserable. Helpful Links (note that some...

In this episode, I reconnect with Carter Lavin for an in-depth discussion about his new book, If You Want to Win, You've Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective Transportation Advocacy. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Carter’s website 👉 Buy the Book via the Active Towns bookshop or via Amazon , and on the Island Press website , for a limite...

In this episode, I connect with Esther Walker, Executive Director of Outride, a non-profit launched by Specialized Bicycles with the mission of providing research, cycling programs, and funding to empower all people to experience the social, emotional, and cognitive benefits of cycling. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Outride website 👉...

In this on-bike interview, I connect with Ryan Short, founder of CivicBrand, for a tour around Boulder while we discuss his new book, The Civic Brand: The Power and Responsibility of Place. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 CivicBrand website 👉 Get your copy of the book 👉 CivicBrand on Instagram 👉 Ryan Short on LinkedIn 👉 Strong Towns...

In this episode, I finally connect with Mara Mintzer, co-founder and executive director of Growing Up Boulder, for a conversation about the power of engaging children in community conversations like planning and design that for too long have been left primarily or exclusively to adults. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Growing Up Boulder...

In this episode, I connect with Jamie Sabbach from Salida, CO, and the 110 Percent organization for a very Strong Towns-esque conversation about parks and how cities need a better plan to maintain them and a better approach to programming more sustainable facilities, such as sidewalks and pathways versus large, costly sports complexes and fields. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate...

In this episode, I reconnect with Anna Zivarts for an update on the Week Without Driving Challenge and her new venture, The Non-Drivers Alliance. Naturally, we talk about the land use patterns and infrastructure needed to facilitate a sustainable non-driving existence. Thumbnail photo credit: Boulder Chamber Transportation Connections (BCTC) see link below Helpful Links (note that some may include...

In this episode, I reconnect with Sam Pearson, Healthy Communities Program Manager at the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, to discuss active mobility implementation strategies in smaller cities and rural towns, and how to leverage existing assets such as trails and pathways. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Pennsylvania Downtown Center 👉 M...

In this episode, I connect with Dr. Matthew "Tepi" Mclaughlin from Perth, Australia, for a conversation about the institutional subsidization of motonormativity that directly contributes to epidemic levels of physical inactivity. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Human Kinetics Journal article with Grant Ennis 👉 Episode with Grant Ennis...

In this episode, I connect with Michel Durand-Wood, the Elmwood Guy behind the popular blog Dear Winnipeg, for a conversation about his efforts to engage his community in discussions surrounding municipal finance, channeling a Strong Towns approach, and mobilizing a coalition of neighborhood groups to take immediate action on the streets with the city's (reluctant) support. We also talk about his...

In this episode, I connect with Dorothy "Dot" Fennell and Zack DeClerk, co-founders of CargoB, a cargo bike-sharing scheme based in the Boston area. Inspired by the Dutch program Cargoroo, CargoB, employs a fleet of UrbanArrow bakfiets-style cargo bikes for folks to check out and use as needed. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 The CargoB...

In this episode, I connect with Michela Grasso, a researcher and writer with the Urban Cycling Institute in Amsterdam, for a discussion about some of her recent projects, including the publication of A Manifesto for Cycling Futures and Planning the Cycling City: A Field Guide. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Meredith Glasser video playl...

In this episode, I reconnect once again with Melissa & Chris Bruntlett from Delft, NL, for a conversation about their beautiful and inspirational new book, Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Transformation. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Melissa & Chris Bruntlett's Modacity website 👉 Women Changing Cities on Bookshop.org...

In this episode, I connect with Peter Bird, a resident of Heidelberg, Germany, and a doctoral researcher at the Technical University (TU) Eindhoven in the Netherlands, to continue my discussions* about the Cycling Cities Initiative. He is studying and documenting the historical context of Minneapolis as an impressive North American example of a Cycling City. *ICYMI: Refer to Episode 311 feat. Prof...

In this episode, I connect with the President of Brompton USA, Juliet Scott-Croxford, for a discussion about some exciting new developments 50 years after the first classic Brompton was built, including the release of the versatile new G-Line with 20-inch wheels and a UL-approved e-assist power system. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Br...

In this episode, I am joined by Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear to discuss their new book, Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile, which was inspired in part by their podcast, The War on Cars. Topics discussed include the origins of The War on Cars podcast name, having a good car management plan like the one implemented in Ghent, school streets, bike buses, the enhanc...

In this episode, I reconnect with Prof. Ruth Oldenziel from the Technical University in Eindhoven for a discussion about the global Cycling Cities Initiative, which kicked off in 2016 with the publication  of the Cycling Cities: The European Experience coffee table book, which I happen to have in my house. We talk about the maturation of the project, including the upcoming release of the Cycling C...

In this episode, I connect with Michael Lovato, a former professional triathlete and champion at the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 distances, for a conversation about Boulder real estate, quality of life measures, and how the Boulder Valley promotes and supports a culture of activity. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Lovato Properties website...