Active Towns

In this episode, I welcome Mr. Michael McGinn into our virtual studios for a wide-ranging conversation about creating cities for people.  Michael McGinn served as the 52nd mayor of Seattle, WA and was recently selected as the new Executive Director of America Walks , a 20-year old national nonprofit organization that has been leading the way in advancing safe, equitable, accessible, and enjoyable...

In this episode, I connect with Matt Pinder and Justin Jones for a detailed discussion about the ubiquitous Dutch Fietsstraats or Bicycle Priority Streets and how North American cities can best implement these innovative facilities. Matt Pinder, a Senior Designer with Alta Planning + Design , in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and Justin Jones, Manager of Bicycle Friendly Communities with the Share the Ro...

In this episode, I catch up with bicycle and clean air advocate extraordinaire Frank Peters of Santa Barbara, CA. The primary topic is the city's transformation of State Street, its iconic downtown main street, into a car-free zone because of the devastating impacts from Covid-19.   Cities around the world have been dramatically reshaping and reimagining their public spaces, especially their downt...

In this episode, I reconnect with Meredith Glaser, a Ph. D. doctoral candidate within the University of Amsterdam's Urban Cycling Institute, for a discussion about living in The Netherlands as an ex-pat from California, accelerating reform to support human-scaled accessibility, and developing an understanding about the transfer of knowledge from study tours. Meredith had originally planned to only...

In this episode, I catch up with Pam LeBlanc, a freelance writer based in Austin, TX, who is constantly creating content about adventure, fitness, and travel. In addition to chatting about some of her recent and upcoming explorations, they talk about her recently published book. NOTE: Video episode available.  Having a spirit of adventure and being pretty much "Up for Anything" has served Pam LeBl...

In this episode, I connect with Angie Schmitt, the author of the new book Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America published by Island Press . We discuss the many complicated and convoluted reasons why this has been happening and talk about some of the inspiring, hopeful stories of change she highlighted in the book. Helpful Links: Streetfilms video of Jor...

In this episode, I welcome back a good friend to the Active Towns Podcast, Mr. Ryan Van Duzer, to talk about his recent bikepacking adventures and help us launch our video podcast. That's right! We will now feature a video version of a select number of our future episodes that will really benefit from having a visual component. Ryan is the perfect guest for our first video episode because of all h...

In this episode, I connect with Donald Shoup, a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA for a fascination discussion about how strategic parking policy reforms can help create healthy, vibrant communities.  In 2005, Donald Shoup published a nearly 800-page book called The High Cost of Free Parking which quickly became a "cult-classic" in urbanism, transportatio...

In this episode, we have a wide-ranging discussion with Lennard Zinn, a Boulder, Colorado-based former elite-level bike racer, journalist, author, and custom bike builder. Lennard is probably best known for his frequent technical journalistic contributions on VeloNews and his incredibly popular books published by VeloPress on bike maintenance and repair, Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenan...

In this episode, I connect with Brad Appel, the Founder and Executive Director of this amazing initiative about how the simple gift of a bicycle can have such a profound and positive influence on children. We discuss how the program leverages corporate engagement and organizational teamwork in delivering the bikes as well as the various adjustments necessitated by the current Covid19 pandemic. For...

In this episode, I reconnect with Kaid Benfield, a veteran urbanism professional and published author who tirelessly advocates for the creation and celebration of places that people love.  From Kaid's professional bio: Kaid Benfield is one of the country’s most steadfast voices for making cities, towns, and neighborhoods work better for both people and the environment.  Based in Washington, DC, he...

In this episode, I reconnect with Manu Calvo of Seville, Spain for a discussion about the extraordinary feat the city achieved in dropping down a nearly complete safe, and inviting cycle network in just 18 months. While it's true that they don't garner the attention of Copenhagen or Amsterdam, the historic city of Seville, Spain, was poised to react when the economic downturn of 2007 hit, so they...

In this episode, I connect with Rodney Ellis , Commissioner, Harris County, Precinct 1 , and the Precinct 1 Bike Program Director, Fernando Martinez for an in-depth conversation about how the city of Houston, TX is progressing towards a more bicycle-friendly environment in large part because of the leadership, dedication, and support of Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Bike P...

In this episode, I connect with the Bike League's Executive Director, Bill Nesper, to learn what's new in the quest to create a more bicycle-friendly nation. Since 1880 the League of American Bicyclists has been advocating for better, safer places to ride.  THE LEAGUE represents bicyclists in the movement to create safer roads, stronger communities, and a Bicycle Friendly America. Through educatio...

In this episode, I reconnect with Charles Brown of Rutgers University for a dive deep into the inequities inherent in our transportation networks and how we can collectively make a difference in our communities. Systemic racism permeates through so many facets of our daily lives that we often are blinded to its very presence as well as its historical relevance in how our cities have been shaped. T...

In this episode, Mike Christensen of Salt Lake City, Utah tells us about his new venture the Utah Rail Passengers Association and describes how he's able to lead a car-light lifestyle in a car-centric western city. Once upon a time, traveling from one city to the next was primarily done by rail, if Mike Christensen, Founder and Executive Director of the Utah Rail Passengers Association , has his w...

In this episode, I catch up with the Director, Kyle, and Sara, Deputy Director , of the Local Innovations initiative to see how the cities they are working with have been progressing in general, as well as how they've been responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and black lives matters movement. The PeopleForBikes Foundation strives to get more people on bikes more often and through the Local Innovati...

In this episode, I reconnect with Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI) for an in-depth discussion about the exciting connection between land use and transportation.     Additional Helpful Links: Todd's Planetizen Blog CNU - Active Town Bike Tour Video of Victoria, BC Donald Shoup - The High Cost of Free Parking Cargo bikes: Bakfiets and Urban Arrow Four Easy Steps to Suppo...

In this episode, I catch up with Susanne Menge, a dear friend from Boulder, CO, who helps people live their best lives.   Susanne helps people discover their passions and learn how to achieve their goals and a sense of joy or as she likes to say " Live Your Gold Medal Life". From her website: I am a passionate lover of humans. I am naturally kind, compassionate and caring and bring that to all of...

In this episode, I connect with Janelle Naess of Laguna Beach, CA, one of our podcast listeners who just happens to have an inspiring story to tell about her 2020 New Year's resolution. Janelle had a wonderful idea for the new year, walk, and document every street in her hometown. She was already a passionate explorer of her beach city and had been profiling cool stuff to see in her blog LagunaBea...

In this episode, I connect with Bryan Jones, City Manager of Eastvale, CA. Eastvale, CA is the second-youngest city in the state of California and as you'll learn from this conversation with its City Manager, Bryan Jones it's also a city without a downtown, but that will hopefully change soon as they have identified 162 acres that they hope to develop soon. You'll also learn that Bryan is a passio...

In this episode, I connect with Curtis Rogers, Co-Founder & COO of Parkade, for a discussion about innovative ways that communities can flip the concept of induced demand on its head to encourage active mobility and more vibrant business districts. Curtis also shares a bit about his background in shared mobility and how his epiphany about the high cost of free parking came about while working...

In this episode, I reconnect with Nicole DeBoom , a former professional triathlete, Ironman Triathlon champion, founder of Skirt Sports and the non-profit Running Start, and host of the fabulous Run This World Podcast. Nicole is truly a force of nature, and she is clearly passionate about empowering people, especially women live the best lives possible. As a former accomplished professional athlet...

In this episode, I reconnect with Graham Hill, Founder & Executive Director of Shared Paths in Boulder, CO, an innovative stewardship initiative that supports over 90 miles of paved urban pathways. Shared Paths Boulder central focus is the creation of shared community on the paths. Founded in 2016, this program provides stewardship support through a network of passionate volunteers. Graham tal...

In this episode, I reconnect with Roshun Austin , Executive Director of The Works, Inc ., a nonprofit community development corporation serving South Memphis, TN. As you'll quickly learn from this conversation, Roshun and her fabulous team of dedicated professionals are involved in so many efforts and initiatives to Rebuild, Restore, and Renew the communities they serve. Below are links to a few o...