Active Towns

In episode 199, I connect with Sir Graham Watson, President of the World Cycling Alliance, for a conversation about coordinating best practices around the globe as we strive to create safer, more inviting cycle networks for all ages and abilities. 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 pla...

In this episode, I connect with Amy Kenreich, a Denver crossing guard mom turned safe streets advocate who is part of a growing number of engaged community members making a difference on the streets of the mile-high city. We talk about recruiting new crossing guards, conducting bike rodeos, fighting for a needed protected bikeway where a tragic fatality occurred, as well as engagement activities l...

In this episode, I connect with Sara Stace, Director of Cities for WSP in Sydney, NSW, Australia, to discuss our need for a whole new paradigm surrounding what our streets are for and how they should make us feel. We pose the question, why can't our streets promote a feeling of being relaxed and carefree, as is depicted by these girls riding to field hockey in The Netherlands? Thank you so much fo...

In this episode, I connect with Ryan Howell, The Events Coordinator at the Tulsa River Parks Authority network of trails and pathways connecting Tulsa's neighborhoods and downtown while providing amazing recreation opportunities, which are now high on my list of places I must visit! Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Pod...

In episode 195, Nicole McSpirit of Denver, Colorado, gives us a look into her radical plan to create a Dutch-inspired cycling paradise in the Mile High City. She also provides a sneak peek into her secret behavior modification tactics to slow down aggressive drivers near schools in her role as an elementary school crossing guard. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please...

In this episode, I connect with Andrew Bowen, a journalist w/ KPBS in San Diego and host of the Freeway Exit Podcast, for a discussion about the damages that freeways cause in our cities and what happens when we take them down. 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, and don't for...

In episode 193, I connect with Andrea Learned for a chat about her new Living Change Podcast, “A Quest for Climate Leadership,” through sharing the experiences and practices of those who might be called surprising validators. Set aside the tendency to name and shame, which rarely delivers desired results, for the much more effective naming and "faming", calling attention to those leaders and indiv...

In this episode, I connect with Carter Lavin in Oakland, CA for a discussion about his work training advocates and activists in the art and science of building political power, honing successful strategies, and creating winning campaigns at the local, regional, and state level. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel): - Carter's website Thank you s...

In this episode, I connect with Breckenridge, CO-based bicycle explorer and recent author, Jerry Kopack for a conversation about getting the most life out of our limited time on earth. Naturally, we talk about bikepacking, bike touring, bike commuting, and, yeah, the joy of riding a bike, any bike, for any reason, at any time. #bikelife Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode,...

In this episode, I connect with Josh Hon, Founder & Team Captain of Tern Bicycles, for a detailed discussion about how he came to start Tern, the current state of the e-bike market, and the potential for using bikes and cargo bikes for more short-haul trips in the future. We also discuss how important it is to advocate for safer and more inviting cycle networks appropriate for all ages and abi...

In episode 189, I reconnect with Brandon Lust, aka @AmericanFietser, for the third time on the podcast. We discuss the status of his advocacy work, field some questions from the audience, and provide some strategies for keeping things interesting while trying to promote for Dutch-inspired safer active mobility environments for all ages and abilities. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed...

In this episode, I connect with Päivi Raivio, co-founder of Helsinki-based Parkly, an innovative firm transforming public places with a modular, scalable solution by creating platforms for enjoying the urban greenscape. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and be sure to subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't...

In this episode, we head back Down Under to chat with the head Urban Pirate himself, Cam Perkins, in Auckland, NZ. Learn how he and his team are working to transform streets and public spaces into viable and vibrant places for people. Included in this episode is a conversation about engaging children in the design of our cities, employing tactical urbanism techniques to move transformation forward...

In episode 186, I connect with Angela van der Kloof, a resident of Tilburg in The Netherlands and International Strategic Advisor with Mobycon, for a discussion about how to frame and talk about our cycle paths and why focusing on speed and using car-centric language such as "highways" to describe them or as part of their names may end up undermining the ultimate goal of encouraging more people to...

In this episode, I connect with Blaine Merker, a Partner, Director, and Head of Climate Action at Gehl, for a discussion about his early work and activism in redefining public space by taking over street parking spots, his current work at Gehl, and strategies for having a meaningful impact on our climate challenges. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with...

In episode 184, I reconnect with Avi Stopper of BikeStreets.com and VAMOS! the Denver, CO-based initiative to quickly bridge the gaps in the city's existing and planned high-comfort active mobility network. As Avi astutely points out, the build-out of Denver's current planned high comfort will take years, if not decades, will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and will ultimately result in a fr...

In episode 183, I connect with Travis Norvell, aka The Pedaling Pastor, on Twitter for a deep dive into the many ways his life and ministry have been enhanced by walking, biking, and taking transit as a way of life. We also discuss the challenges around parking for social institutions, the need for policy reform, and an outright paradigm shift. Additionally, we discuss ways that social institution...

In this episode, I connect with Kylie van Dam to learn about life in Houten, a Dutch city near Utrecht that was intentionally designed to provide a thriving environment for people rather than cater to the circulation and storage of cars. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and be sure to subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening pl...

In this episode, I connect with Ashton & Jonathan Schottler, the dynamic duo behind the fabulous fast-growing Black Forest Family YouTube Channel. We discuss their desires to lead an active lifestyle, including modeling active mobility within their growing family, and how the built environment and German culture in their region help to support these goals. Thank you so much for tuning in! If y...

In this episode, I chat with Robert Martin, Head of Mobility at Jaja Architects in Copenhagen, DK, about the Mobility Pyramid - Its creation and application as a paradigm shift for thinking about city design and personal choice. We also explore how he, as an architect, got into mobility work, the relationship between architects, planners, and transportation engineers in building places that promot...

In this episode, I reconnect with Mallory Baches, the newly appointed President of the Congress for the New Urbanism or CNU, for a conversation about the core principles of the CNU as well as this year's Congress being held in Charlotte, North Carolina. We also reminisce about the last Congress in the area, CNU26 in Savannah, Georgia, when I filmed our Epic Bike Ride from Mount Pleasant, SC, to th...

In this episode, I connect with Brent Buice, Manager of South Carolina and Georgia with the East Coast Greenway, who provides us with a snapshot of this extraordinary effort that connects 15 states and 450 cities and towns for 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida. The initiative is fostering a safe walking and biking route through the country’s most populated corridor. Helpful Links (note that some m...

In this episode, I connect with Ryan Birkicht, Director of Enterprise Partnerships for the PeopleForBikes, to talk about this innovative transportation demand management program for employers to encourage and reward their employees who ride bikes more often. It leverages the Ride Spot app technology that PeopleForBikes has developed and launched. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate...

In this episode, I connect with Lindsay Sturman for a detailed discussion about the Livable Communities Initiative (LCI) of Los Angeles, California.  They are a self-described group of urbanists, architects, progressive activists, and advocates who want to reimagine Los Angeles and address the housing, mobility, and climate crisis at the same time. Helpful Links (note that some may include affilia...

In this episode, I connect with Séverine Le Page and Zvi Leve from Montréal to talk about the growth in cycling through all the seasons, but in particular in winter. We also talk about the various advocacy and militant activism efforts underway to support the buildout of more cycle infrastructure and the activation of what's already on the ground. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliat...