Active Towns

In this episode, I reconnect with Geert Kloppenburg, a Dutch urban mobility expert and filmmaker who has been documenting some of the serious safety challenges being presented by car and lorry conflicts emerging on many Dutch city streets that seemingly escape the notice of most global active mobility advocates and many local leaders. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, p...

In this episode, I connect with Sara Bronin for an in-depth discussion about her new book Key to the City: How Zoning Shapes Our World. We discuss how zoning has shaped our communities, influenced car dependency, and hampered our health in the past, and how we can turn things around with good zoning policies moving forward. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share...

In this episode, I connect with Patty Wiens, the Bicycle Mayor of Winnipeg, for an update on the everyday cycling scene in this emerging bicycle-friendly city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. We discuss the status of the lagging safe cycling infrastructure, the impressive advocacy groups, and a recent act of "civil obedience" where cyclists went out at rush hour and followed all the "rules of...

In this episode, I reconnect with journalist Alissa Walker, founder of the new newsletter Torched. LA for a discussion about the forthcoming major events (Superbowl, World Cup, and Olympics) being hosted by Los Angeles in the coming years and how the region can leverage these opportunities to ensure that the citizens don't get "torched" by a legacy of debt and discrimination. Thank you so much for...

In this episode, I connect with Prof. Jordi Honey-Rosés for a conversation about the amazing street transformations taking place in Barcelona, the emergence of the worldwide bike bus phenomenon, and the school streets movement.  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 preferred listening platform. Also, don't...

In this episode, I reconnect with Tom Flood, the brilliant mind behind the fantastic meme generation machine, the Rovelo Creative agency, for a conversation about how his work is being adopted and adapted in cities around the globe. 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 preferred listening platform. Also, do...

In this episode, I connect with Heidi Beierle, author of the fabulous self-discovery/adventure book Heidi Across America: One Woman's Journey on Bicycle Through the Heartland. A personal account of her ride across the continent to study the impact of bicycle tourism in small-town America and learn to love herself and her country one pedal stroke at a time. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you e...

In this episode, I reconnect with The Happy Urbanist, Jon Jon Wesolowski, in Chattanooga, TN, for a discussion about his journey to urbanist activism, his approach to making more sociable neighborhoods & communities, and why he is running for City Council in Chattanooga. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the podcast on...

In this episode, I welcome back Jeff Wood of The Overhead Wire, a subscription news curation service and the Talking Headway Podcast, in acknowledgment and celebration of hitting and surpassing the impressive milestone of 500 podcast episodes. 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 preferred listening platfor...

In this episode, I connect with Laura Mitchell from Minneapolis, Minnesota, for a conversation about her journey to becoming an accidental safer streets & active mobility advocate with an impressive reach both locally and globally. We discuss her involvement with the Our Streets MN non-profit advocacy organization, the well-established and beloved off-street network of multi-use pathways, and...

In this episode, I reconnect with Nic Laporte, the Vancouver, BC-based creative force behind the fast-growing @nicthedoor urbanism and active mobility YouTube channel, to learn more about his backstory and what he hopes to achieve with his inspiring videos from Japan, The Netherlands and various locations across North America. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please sh...

In this episode, I connect with Sara Dykman, author of the book Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201 Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration, for a conversation about her work studying endangered species for the forest service in California, her epic cycling with butterflies journey, and what we all can do help Monarchs survive and thrive, including the planting of the milkweed plants they f...

In this week's Podcast Episode, I connect with Tina Castillo and Paul Tolmé for a wide-ranging discussion about the Cascade Bicycle Club in the State of Washington and their advocacy and educational efforts to get more people riding more often throughout the state. Note that this was another episode prompted by a viewer's suggestion. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, pl...

In this episode, I connect with Phil Levin, founder of the Live Near Friends organization and movement to talk about the benefits and logistics of finding creative ways to live closer to our beloved friends and family members. We naturally end up talking about innovative strategies to enhance happiness and social cohesion while also increasing missing middle housing supplies. Thank you so much for...

In this episode, I connect with Marley Blonsky, Founder of All Bodies On Bikes, for a discussion about her personal journey, the joy of riding bikes, and the movement to encourage everyone, "all ages & abilities," and body types to ride more frequently and for a variety of purposes. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the...

In this episode, I connect with Graham Zimmerman, an elite-level alpinist, author, and the Director of Athlete Alliances for Protect Our Winters (POW), for an in-depth discussion about the organization and its campaigns to influence systemic policy changes and engage the community. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the podc...

In this episode, the first of Season Eight, I connect with the "Worst Mother in America," Lenore Skenazy, author of the book Free-Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow and the co-founder of the Let Grow organization and movement for childhood independence. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the podcast...

In this episode, I connect with the founder of Streets For All, Michael Schneider. We discuss the recent huge win, Measure HLA, in the March 2024 Los Angeles elections and how other cities learn from the Streets For All experience and start getting major political wins in their communities, whether large or small. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a...

In this episode, Chuck Marohn, founder of Strong Towns, and I discuss the new book he co-wrote with Daniel Herriges, Escaping the Housing Trap: A Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis, as we walk around in and reflect upon what we see in the Over The Rhine District in Cincinnati, Ohio. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe t...

In this episode, I reconnect with Professor Wes Marshall for a discussion about his new book Killed By A Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies Our Transportation System. Note that this episode was recorded as a Livestreaming event on YouTube so we do frequently take questions from the audience via the chat window. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this epis...

In this episode, I connect with Maddy Novich, NYC-based mother of three, professor of criminology, and an accidental cargo bike influencer on Instagram, for a discussion about her fascinating journey to becoming passionate about the empowering nature of cargo bikes in general and e-assist cargo bikes in particular. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with...

In this episode, I connect with Dan Hendry, the driving force behind Canada's youth transit revolution and the Get On The Bus campaign, for an in-depth conversation about the transformative impacts these efforts are having on the mobility freedom and sense of empowerment of the younger generations in their participating cities. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please s...

In this episode, I reconnect with Dan Piatkowski, Associate Professor of Integrated Land-Use and Transportation Planning at OsloMet University, for a conversation about his brand-new book Bicycle City: Riding the Bike Boom to a Brighter Future, published by Island Press. 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...

In this episode, I connect with Jim DeCecco, who has come out of retirement to help resurrect the Oceano, CA bike posse ice cream runs and restore the youth bike program mojo to their former glory days. 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 preferred listening platform. Also, don't forget to check out the Ac...

In this episode, I reconnect with my good friend, Nate Hood from Saint Paul, MN, to discuss his hilarious suburban engagement photos, his stand-up comedy routine, and some very encouraging updates from Minnesota on land use and parking policy reform. Naturally, we sneak in some cycle network discussions, and Jason Slaughter with the Not Just Bikes Channel gets a nice cameo mention when we talk abo...