Active Towns

In this episode, we head to Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, for a conversation about the efforts underway there to normalize active mobility and thus break the shackles of car dependency. I reached out to Chris when one of his videos, "Why do people hate cyclists?" went viral a couple of months ago. Chris Cox is an active advocate and content creator striving to make a difference in creating an...

In this episode, I connect with a fellow YouTube content creator Ethan Tufts with the Hello Road Channel for a conversation about his realization that car dependency really does suck and what he, as a car enthusiast, plans to do about it. We also discuss the slow transformation of the streets of the Los Angeles area and how he hopes he can help to facilitate change locally. Watch the video version...

In this episode, I connect w/ Zach Katz, creator of Better Streets AI, for a conversation about what led him to start posting his street visualizations on Twitter and his vision for the movement going forward. We also discuss his quest to bring traditional upright Dutch bikes to the United States through his Real Dutch Bikes import venture. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full e...

In this episode, I connect with Warren Logan of Oakland, CA, for a discussion about the lessons learned from the implementation of the Slow Streets, Essential Streets, and Flex Streets programs that were rolled out in response to the pandemic lockdown and how other cities and communities can benefit from these experiences. At the height of the pandemic lockdown, hundreds of cities globally took qu...

In this episode, I reconnect with Paige Ellis, Austin City Council Member from District 8 for an update on the buildout of Austin's Dutch-inspired cycle network.   We also discuss the recent visit of Her Majesty Queen Maxima from the Kingdom of The Netherlands and outline some plans for traffic calming and active mobility in District 8. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effec...

In this episode, I reconnect with Gracen Johnson of Ottawa, Canada, for a conversation about architecture, land use zoning, active mobility, and how having a dog enables her to meet so many people. We also talk about her writing and video work in the early days of the Strong Towns organization, as well as her contributions to the Incremental Development movement. I also learned that she is origina...

In this episode, I connect with the nine-time award-winning writer, director, and producer, Jennifer Boyd about her most recent film, The Street Project: The Fight to Make Our Streets Safer. We also discuss what led her on the journey to make this film on safer street design, a topic she knew nothing about before the cameras started rolling. She shares how making this film has profoundly changed h...

In this episode, I am honored to have a truly delightful conversation with Avital Barnea, the CalSTA (California State Transportation Agency) Deputy Secretary for Transportation Planning, about her journey to the transportation field, the state capital of California, by way of Washington DC, and why she has chosen to go car-free. We also discuss the massive challenges California and our nation are...

In this episode, I reconnect with Matt Pinder, a traffic engineer who designs people-oriented roads and intersections; he's also a safer streets advocate with both a blog and a YouTube channel. We get into the details and discuss the role of community members and city leadership. We also discuss the nuts and bolts of shifting the focus of transportation engineering towards redesigning our streets...

In this episode, I connect with Emily Stutts, a special ed teacher from Brooklyn, NY, who has just returned from a summer school class in Germany and The Netherlands focusing on transforming our streets into people-oriented places through quick interventions.   Emily's journey to becoming a passionate urbanist and advocate for creating safer, more activity-promoting streets and communities is such...

In this first episode of Season 4, I'm honored to present this chat I had with Emilia Hanna, Manager of the Car-Free Megacities Campaign - a fun yet serious competition between New York, Paris, and London to reduce their levels of car-dependence and relieve themselves of the negative impacts that motor vehicles inflict on the city. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect Can...

In this episode, the Season 3 Finale, I welcome back Doug Gordon, co-host of The War on Cars Podcast and founder of Brooklyn Spoke Media, for some reflections on the past eight months of safer streets for everyone developments and some of our favorite episodes. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect In addition to our conversation, we fielded questions and comments from our...

In this episode, I am delighted to welcome back Billy Fields, Associate Professor, Texas State University, for a detailed discussion about his recent month-long trip to Europe to study and document the amazing street transformations taking place in many cities, including Barcelona, Paris, Utrecht, and Amsterdam, to name just a few. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect In...

In this episode, I reconnect with Ivey Kaiser, Executive Director of Austin's Shoal Creek Conservancy, for a chat about some exciting updates addressing some crucial gaps in the trail. We also talk about how important it is to provide safe and inviting access to meaningful destinations served by the trail for All Ages & Abilities. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect...

In this episode, I reconnect with Robert "Rob" Spillar, Former DOT Director for Austin, TX, and current Senior Vice President, National Director of Smart Cities for STV. We discuss his nearly 14-year career launching and leading the transportation department and how two significant study trips abroad help to shape the trajectory of mobility in the Texas capital, the establishment of a comprehensiv...

In this episode, I connect with Jace Davis with Bicycle Colorado and the Denver Streets Partnership for a conversation about his recent month-long vacation to Europe and how he plans to translate the people-oriented public space designs he experienced into his work in Denver. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect Jace is excited about translating what is possible into actu...

In this episode, I connect with Dawn Rahman, a riding mom and doctoral researcher at the University of Westminster in the U.K., studying the barriers that mothers face when attempting to ride a bike with their children. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect Dawn Rahman is a mom who wants more moms to ride with their kids, so she's doing a doctoral research study examining...

In this episode, I connect with the Bicycle Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Lanrick Bennett, Jr., who says he's doing this for kids, because they deserve to have a safe and inviting cycle network so that they may experience mobility freedom. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect Lanrick wants his children, and everyone for that matter, to be able to ride a bike safely t...

In this episode, I reconnect with my good friend, Charles "Chuck" Marohn, founder of the Strong Towns organization and worldwide movement, for a discussion about the inherent connections between Strong Towns and Active Towns, the need for reform in the traffic engineering and city planning fields, and he provides the latest update on his battle with the state licensing board. Watch the video versi...

In this episode, I reconnect with Mike Sewell, with Gresham Smith in Louisville, KY, for a conversation about a new innovative empathic analytics system he is working on to evaluate just how comfortable public spaces and All Age & Abilities facilities actually are. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect He also reflects upon some of the delightful people-places he and h...

In this episode, I reconnect with Kyle Wagenschutz, Sara Studdard, and Zoe Kircos, who have recently launched the non-profit organization City Thread: Stitching together the fabric of our communities. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect City Thread is a firm dedicated to helping communities achieve big things by collaborating with diverse teams of elected officials, city...

In this episode, I get into some "good trouble" with Cathy Tuttle a Portland, OR-based advocate and thought leader in the movement to create more people-oriented, sustainable places. We discuss her diverse background, her previous work in Seattle, the recent Car Master Plan she created for Portland, and the need for cities, states and nations to address the climate emergency with a sense of urgenc...

In this episode, I connect with Movetia Salter, a resident of the Mueller community in Austin, TX for a conversation about her transformative cycling story rooted in a cancer diagnosis, a new city across the country, and her rediscovery of the joy of riding a bike, especially with others. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect Austin's Movetia Salter caught my attention whe...

Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect A few months ago I started noticing these amazing Tweets with videos and photos of swarms of kids riding their bikes in Portland, OR. Sam Balto aka @coachbalto on Twitter was the man behind these Tweets and the massive success that is the Bike Bus he coordinated for his school in an attempt to provide a safer, healthier way for his stu...

In this episode, I am delighted to reconnect with Scott Bricker, co-founder and Executive Director of Bike Pittsburgh (aka BikePGH) for a discussion about the progress the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been making in its quest to build out a network of high-comfort facilities appropriate for all ages and abilities. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect Biking in Pit...