Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Alta Planning + Design …
It seems like every day Lior notices the improvements happening all around him and in the bold work that he and his firm …
London, England is striving to become a city that promotes and supports walking, cycling, and transit use for the normal utilitarian trips that Londoners take on a daily basis. Will Norman …
Cargo bikes are not new, but with advancements in electric-assist technologies, they are fast becoming a common feature …
Walkable City which came out ten years ago was a breakout success as a book about the why and how of creating walkable vibrant downtowns and helped bring the concept of walkability into the …
The European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) has these two very important cycling gatherings and events taking place in June. Jill Warren, the CEO of ECF was gracious enough to join me at a …
Tom first turned to Twitter to vent his frustrations but now he has an international following of nearly 16,000 and he …
After living in The Netherlands, Japan, and London, England, Kathryn King returned home to Auckland, New Zealand to help transform the environment by creating more Streets For People as the …
Electric-assist bikes and e-cargo bikes have in many ways supercharged the bike industry and provided much-needed …
In this episode, I reconnect with Meredith Glaser, Director of the Urban Cycling Institute w/ the University of Amsterdam. She provides an update on what life's been like living in The …
Daniel Piatkowski, is an Associate Professor, in Integrated Land-Use and Transportation Planning …
Landing Page - for access to photos and videos
We talk about the community favorite rides Tour de l’Île de Montréal and Tour la Nuit as well as the critical bicycle education efforts for the …
Additionally, we cover Dutch bikes, Dutch-inspired cycling infrastructure, cargo bikes, roundabout, #BikeTwitter influences, and so much more in the return of The American Fietser to the …
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Finding a safe and secure place to park your ride is increasingly a huge challenge and with the relative value of bikes rising with many more people riding electric-assist cycles …
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Driven by a passion to share the positive stories and learnings of the Dutch with regards to bicycle path network development is largely what keeps Mark Wagenbuur, aka …
Tatiana Sales Lust has an exciting and inspiring story of empowerment and self-confidence facilitated by a little Dutch cycling magic, a bike that actually fits her, and a wee bit of …
Video for this Episode - first released as a special Holiday bonus video in December
Jason Slaughter with Not Just Bikes in Amsterdam chats with me …
The other day my good friend Josh Paget of the Better Cities Film Festival (formerly known as the New Urbanism Film Fest) reached out and said 'you have got to interview my buddy Scott, he's …
We are faced with major challenges on multiple fronts, a climate emergency, an obesity epidemic, and preventable deaths …
I am asked all the time by listeners and viewers of this podcast, 'how can I make a difference and effect change in my community?' My answer is to engage with your neighbors, find a kindred spirit …
Link to the video of this episode and to the landing page for photos
What if most of our public realm was a collection of child-friendly spaces such …
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In Autonorama: The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving, technology historian Peter Norton argues that driverless cars cannot be the …
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- Video Link: Getting the Details Right w/ Lennart Nout
Hi everyone! Thanks for tuning into this first episode of 2022. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to connect with Lennart Nout, Manager of …
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This episode is available in a visually rich video format, which is highly recommended.
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Road space reallocation, All Ages & Abilities active mobility network, e-cargo-bike freight/goods …
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This episode is available in video format and has many visuals worth seeing.
When it comes to creating safer, more inviting streets for All Ages & Abilities across all mobility types, the Dutch (which …
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Click here for the video version of this episode on our YouTube Channel
In this first episode of season three, John connects with Dr. Natalia Barbour, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at TU Delft researching and …
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For obvious reasons you may prefer to watch the video version of this episode, here's that link.
Our landing page for this episode
The Streetfilms video profiling Dutch cycling and Dutch cycle network design in …
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Landing Page for the episode for photos, embedded videos, enhanced links
This episode is available as a video and features many visuals - …
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Landing page on the Active Towns website for access to videos and photos of the trail
In June 2021, I had the honor of attending the Walk …
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Pop-up protected bike lanes, separated cycle tracks, open streets, and even plazas are some of the pilot projects that we have …
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This episode has been produced as a video with some rich visuals, so to get to the full experience click on this link
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Our YouTube video version of this episode for the full visual experience
When we think of the safe and …
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Active Towns landing page for this episode - for access to photos, videos, and additional content
Active People, Healthy Nation℠ is a national initiative led by CDC to help 27 million Americans become more …
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Active Towns Landing Page for this Episode to access photos and videos
In June 2021, the City of Cambridge published Cambridge Bicycle Plan 2020, an update to the 2015 Cambridge Bicycle Plan: Toward a Bikeable …
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The Trust for Public Land was founded in 1972 on the conviction that all people need and deserve access to nature and the outdoors, close to home, in the cities and communities where they live, as a matter of …
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Episode Landing page for access to more information and photos
Easthampton, Massachusetts and Jeffrey Bagg, City Planner were suggested for …
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In 2010 Charles Marohn, Founder of the Strong Towns organization sat down to create a computerized animated cartoon video called Conversation with an …
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Landing page for this episode to access the visuals associated with the discussion
The book Cognitive Architecture by Ann Sussman and …
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Active Towns Landing Page for this episode for access to more photos, videos
Every week on the Strong Towns Upzoned Podcast, Abby Kinney …
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It's not an understatement to say that Houston is one of the most challenged cities in North America when it comes to it's sprawling size, at 670+ square miles (1,739.69 km2) in the city limits and 10,062 …
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Active Towns Landing page for this episode for additional photos and content
Public health is and has been top of mind ever since the …
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Dr. Robin Mazumder, recently (October 2020) received his Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo in cognitive neuroscience studying the impacts of urban design on our …
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Active Towns Landing page for this episode - for additional content and photos
Providence, Rhode Island is one of our oldest cities in …
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Active Towns Landing Page for this Episode (for additional photos and content)
In order to combat climate change, we know that we must electrify the motor vehicle fleet (and other fossil fuel burning engines …
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If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?
As you'll learn from this episode, that's precisely the question Jason …
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In episode number 81, John welcomes to the podcast Paul Tranter, Honorary Associate Professor in Geography in the School of Science at the
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MOTHERLOAD captures a new mother’s quest to understand the increasing isolation and disconnection of modern life, its planetary impact, …
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Curbing Traffic - The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives published by Island Press is due to be released on June 29, 2021. We highly recommend everyone get a copy and Melissa and Chris have passed along …
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A livable street is like a good friend that gives you energy. In contrast, an unlivable street drains you.
Bruce Appleyard is an Associate Professor of City Planning & Public Administration, at San Diego …
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Does Salt Lake City, Utah come to mind when you think of cities leading the way in innovative cycle infrastructure? Probably not. But, they were one of the early protected cycling infrastructure adopters in …
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When one steps into a pocket neighborhood it seems familiar and feels comfortable. Perhaps this is because humans have been creating intentional habitats such as these for tens of thousands of years. They are …
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In 2017, Brandon joined his wife Tatiana on a trip to The Netherlands. She had some work to do there and they figured why not combine the …
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This episode with Billy Fields, Ph.D. has reinforced our appreciation for just how interconnected everything is in our world, from active …
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David Nuttall was motivated to get in a little exercise and lose a little weight by exploring his adopted hometown of Huntsville, Alabama …
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The Ghisallo Cycling Initiative based in Austin, Texas provides education, engagement, and activation programs and services which help to get more people, of all ages and abilities, riding more often.
Briana …
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In the past three episodes in a row now we've explored the theme that transforming our cities into safer, more inviting places that …
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What makes Kansas City so relevant when it comes to the movement to create and promote a Culture of Activity is that it is so unremarkable …
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The city of New Orleans was one of ten cities chosen to participate in the Big Jump Project by the PeopleForBikes Foundation's Local …
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In this episode, John shares his recent conversation with Zach Vanderkooy a veteran study tour organizer and principal of the firm Inspired by Cities. Zach is an urban planner by training and has a deep …
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The League of American Bicyclists based in Washington, DC is a membership-based organization that has been fighting for the rights and needs of cyclists specifically and active mobility in general since 1880.
…
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To say that Mark Cramer is an accidental bike advocate would be quite an understatement. He describes how many years ago he happened upon …
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The city of Memphis, Tennessee is most certainly not on the top of mind for most of us when it comes to a safe and inviting environment for walking and biking, but it has been on our radar here at Active …
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In this rare mid-week episode, John and Rob talk through a wide range of topics, including how the Ironman triathlon helped him to find his passion, his take on safer streets for active living as a working …
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Austin Taylor is one very busy guy. He works as a Transportation Planner focussing on Active Transportation and Transportation Demand Management, also known as TDM for the Park City Municipal Corporate in …
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One of the very first things I noticed upon my initial visit to The Netherlands in 2015 was the seamless connection and synergistic coordination between the national transit system and the bicycle network, …
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You can pretty much count on it - anytime there's a proposal to install a bike lane or pedestrian crossing that might inconvenience or slow down motor vehicle traffic in any amount, no matter how small, …
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While cold weather and even snow are not completely unheard of in Texas, clearly the state, especially the power grid, is not prepared for …
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The amazing culture of activity transformation that has been underway in the Northwest Arkansas region over the past couple of decades is …
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Wes Marshall, Ph.D. is a Professor of Civil Engineering and an affiliate faculty member in Planning and Design at the University of …
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Erin Riediger is in the final stages of officially becoming an architect. You’ll quickly learn that she’s passionate about creating equitable cities which partly explains how she got interested in advocating …
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Joanne "Jo" Fitzgibbons is a Ph.D. doctoral candidate at the University of British Columbia and a Sustainability Scholar with the Urban …
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Streetsmart is an amazing non-profit platform and resource clearinghouse for integrating climate change, public health, and equity concerns into transportation. Specifically the platform is evidence-based and …
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Jamie Stuckless is a Hamilton-based advocate and policy wonk who has become increasingly interested in and working on the needed …
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In addition to John's very brief reflections, he goes on to provide some surprise bonus material at the end of the main recording; a brief overview countdown of each of the 52 episodes.
See below for links to …
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Flowers in pots, a flower in a traffic cone, red cups, 6-foot tall cardboard comic character cutouts... just some of the safer street activism materials Jonathan Fertig has employed and deployed during his …
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Andy Boenau has a formal background as a transportation engineer, but his career has gradually evolved over the years and now he focuses …
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Y'all are in for quite the treat with this one.
Michael McGinn served as the 52nd mayor of Seattle, WA and was recently selected as the …
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When it comes to "All Ages & Abilities" cycle network facilities the protected bike lane or separated cycle-track typically gets most of the attention, however a little known fact about the Dutch approach …
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Cities around the world have been dramatically reshaping and reimagining their public spaces, especially their downtown streets in response to the negative economic and health impacts from the novel …
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Meredith Glaser had originally planned to only study and work abroad for a year or so, well that has turned into a decade of living in Amsterdam, raising a family, and developing a passion for a better …
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Having a spirit of adventure and being pretty much "Up for Anything" has served Pam LeBlanc well over the decades as an accomplished journalist, photographer, and author.
We were fortunate enough to catch Pam …
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Angie Schmitt is the author of the new book Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America published by Island Press. John and Angie discuss the many complicated and …
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We're delighted to welcome back a good friend to the Active Towns, 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 …
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In 2005, Donald Shoup published a nearly 800-page book called The High Cost of Free Parking which quickly became a "cult-classic" in …
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Lennard Zinn of Boulder, CO is probably best known for his frequent technical journalistic contributions on VeloNews and his incredibly …
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What are your earliest memories and emotions associated with riding a bike? For many of us the words fun, freedom, friends, excitement, and exhilaration come forward, however, for far too many kids a bike is …
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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, …Show Notes:
While it's true, they don't garner the attention of a Copenhagen or Amsterdam, the historic city of Seville, Spain was poised to react, when the economic downturn of 2007 hit, so they mobilized and built a …
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When thinking of Houston, TX, the phrase bicycle-friendly environment rarely comes to mind, but if these two distinguished leaders have …
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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 …Show Notes:
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. The transportation …
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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 way, this might become …
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The PeopleForBikes Foundation strives to get more people on bikes more often and through the Local Innovations Program, the organization inspires, empowers, and supports cities as they attempt to make big …
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In this, our 33rd episode of the Active Towns Podcast, we are delighted to feature an in-depth discussion with Todd Litman of the …
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Susanne Menge helps people discover their passions and learn how to achieve their goals and a sense of joy or as she likes to say "Live …
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Janelle Naess of Laguna Beach, CA had a wonderful idea for the new year, walk, and document every street in her hometown. She was already …
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Eastvale, CA is the second-youngest city in the state of California and as you'll learn from this conversation with its City Manager, …
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In this conversation, Curtis shares a bit about his background in shared mobility and how his epiphany about the high cost of free parking came about while working at Lyft in San Francisco. He also takes us …
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Nicole DeBoom is truly a force of nature and she is clearly passionate about empowering people, especially women live the best lives …
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Shared Paths Boulder central focus is the creation of shared community on the paths.
Founded in 2016, this program provides stewardship …
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In this episode, John reconnects 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 …
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Previously with Walk Denver, Jill Locantore recently became Denver Streets Partnership's first Executive Director.
City of Denver Shared …
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Jennifer Baird is the Founder & CEO of FifthEye of Ann Arbor, MI and as a serial entrepreneur with nearly two decades of experience founding and leading high potential startups she provides us with a …
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In this episode, we're delighted to welcome Kevin Shepherd, Founder and CEO of Verdunity a firm dedicated to fiscally-informed planning, engineering, and community engagement services that help city leaders …
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Holly Bennett is a world traveler, endurance athlete, and remote worker extraordinaire. She shares her story of personal transformation, …
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For our 21st episode, John is delighted to share his recent conversation with Dom Nozzi and Maggie Waddoups of Boulder, Colorado. Dom and …
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Alissa Walker is the Urbanism editor at Curbed and she authors the column Word on the Street, highlighting the pioneering transit, clever …
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In this episode, we have a fascinating conversation with Jeff Wood, founder of The Overhead Wire, a sustainable transportation and …
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In this episode, John welcomes Amanda Popken, principal owner of Amanda Popken Development to the Active Towns Podcast. Her firm specializing in placemaking & community engagement, with an emphasis on …
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New urbanists are a diverse, multidisciplinary, action-oriented group working to build places people love.
Lynn Richards is President and …
We are in the midst of truly extraordinary times, there's no doubt about it, but with the current push to reclaim our streets from the motor vehicle …
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As a writer of novels and a journalist, Kea is constantly constructing compelling narratives that move people. We caught up with her last week as she was sheltering in place at her home in St. Louis, MO.
In …
We cover a lot of ground in this episode as we catch up with Mark Nickita, mainly because he is one very busy guy. He's a city commissioner and former mayor of Birmingham, MI, an architect and founder of the firm, …
Up until about 80 years ago, humans have been building cities and towns for thousands of years using a traditional development pattern of incrementalism, which helped to create strength and to become in a sense …
In this episode, we check-in with Mike Lydon of Street Plans in Brooklyn, NY and discuss the on-the-ground impacts of the pandemic he's seeing in NYC and monitoring worldwide.
We cover and mention a lot of issues …
A little over one year ago Chris and Melissa Bruntlett made a big decision. They moved their family of four from Vancouver, BC to the city of Delft in The Netherlands. Their journey has its roots in the fantastic book …
In this episode, Active Towns podcast host, John Simmerman has a discussion Victor Dover with Dover, Kohl, & Partner Town Planning of South Miami and Raphael Clemente with West Palm Beach Downtown Development …
In the city of Austin, TX, a city that has been experiencing, prior to our current COVID-19 pandemic, dramatic increases in economic and population …
Show Notes for MOVEATX podcast with Jim Wick
From the MOVEATX website:
“We all know that Austin has a mobility crisis, but by implementing some of the least costly and easiest to engineer infrastructure improvements, we …
Over the past decade or so teaching children how to ride a bike has fundamentally changed. No longer are training wheels considered best practice, instead, the balance bike is now considered to be the preferred, most …
For this episode, John welcomed Katie Deolloz with Walking as Practice into the Active Towns Podcast Studio.
Katie is a certified walking coach, a mom …
For this episode, we are delighted to welcome Triny Willerton of Boulder, Colorado and the It Could Be Me initiative.
Triny is a mom, a wife, an …
In this episode, we welcome Darcy Kitching of Boulder, Colorado. Darcy is an experienced program director, talented storyteller, and truly a force of …
In this episode we welcome in Preston Tyree of the Mueller neighborhood in Austin, TX to chat about his podcast Growing Old(er)!, what it's like to live in a community that is quickly transforming into an "All Ages …
In this episode, John has a delightful conversation with Heyden Black Walker, Director of Planning with Black + Vernooy Architecture and Urban Design …
Welcome to the Active Towns Podcast a semi-frequent conversation about the people, places, programs, and policies that help to promote a culture of …
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