Active Towns

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...

In this episode, I connect with David Prytherch, Professor of Geography at Miami University in Oxford, OH, for a conversation about transforming our streets back into people-oriented places and his recently published book, Reclaiming the Road: Mobility Justice Beyond Complete Streets. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Reclaiming the Road...

In this episode, I connect with Dr. Catherine Elliot, an American living in Winterthur, Switzerland, just outside of Zürich, for a discussion about strategies for overcoming motonormativity, some research that she's been involved with in this realm, including the concept of E-Bike City, and the Moveable initiative. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the ch...

In this episode, I connect with Peter Nouwen from 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands for a discussion about the productivity benefits of having healthy, active employees and the curious, nonsensical policy practices of many employers that incentivize driving a car rather than taking transit, walking, or cycling to work. We launch into the discussion by channeling Jason Slaughter's Not Just Bikes...

In this episode, I finally connect with Nick Falbo to nerd out on the history of protected bike lanes and protected intersections in the United States, how we got so off-track, and how he is leveraging the Dutch cycle network design standards to build world-class infrastructure here in North America while working with the Dutch firm Mobycon. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate link...

In this episode, I finally connect with Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Parks & Trails New York, for a ride down memory lane, reminiscing about his time in Missoula, MT, his role as Executive Director at Transportation Alternatives in NYC, and serving as the final driver in Central Park and then we catch up on his more recent activities focussing on Parks and Trails from his new home...

In this episode, I connect with Jennifer Hamelman, the Former Director of Routes at the Adventure Cycling Association, for a conversation about the USBRS (United States Bicycle Route System), the joys of bicycle travel and bicycle touring, and what she'd like to do next related to food systems. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): 👉 Adventure...

In this episode, we'll head back to the Netherlands for a somewhat surprising conversation with Christian Ratering, a Senior Policy Maker with the village of Renkum, about some bold actions being taken as part of an official policy, the Renkum Mobility Vision Plan (MVP), to make the community truly safe and inviting for all ages and abilities. We'll also discuss his doctoral studies about how peop...

In this episode, I welcome back Chris Bruntlett to the podcast for a chat about his reflections on his recent visit to China representing the Dutch Cycling Embassy. I think you'll be surprised at the scale and pace of the cycling infrastructure (re)emerging across the country. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the podcast o...

To kick off Season 10 of the Podcast, I have a conversation with Amy Cohen and Patty Avery, two dedicated volunteers with the Families for Safe Streets organization, about how this national initiative is taking bold steps to confront the epidemic of traffic violence and change the narrative surrounding the preventable casualties of motor vehicle crashes on our streets, including policies to addres...

In this episode, I welcome back Tim Gill, the author of the book Urban Playground, for an encore conversation about the need for more family friendly places that reduce car dependency and return independence to roam to our children, elderly, and those unable to drive a motor vehicle. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the po...

In this episode, I connect with Seth Kaplan, author of the recent book "Fragile Neighborhoods" and a recent article "The Real User Interface: Recovering Our Neighborhoods," for a conversation about the challenges of our current community designs and how we can make our neighborhoods less fragile, or to channel Nassim Taleb, make our neighborhoods "Anti-Fragile" once again. Seth argues that our pla...

In this episode, I finally connect with Beth Osborne with Smart Growth America for an in-depth conversation about the Transportation For America Program. Note: A few days after recording this episode, Beth stepped in to serve as the Interim CEO of Smart Growth America. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the podcast on your p...