Active Towns

In this episode, we head back up to the province of British Columbia, Canada for a conversation about Restorative Natural Areas with Vancouver-based Katherine Howard and Jo FitzgibbonsJoanne "Jo" Fitzgibbons is a Ph.D. doctoral candidate at the University of British Columbia and a Sustainability Scholar with the Urban Biodiversity Hub Katherine Howard is a Project Manager with the City of Vancouver currently working on its comprehensive master plan, she was involved with developing VanPlay, the city’s parks and recreation services master plan.Jo and Katherine share how the development of the Restorative Natural Area (RNA) Index tool assisted the City of Vancouver and contributed as a layer in the Equity Initiative Zone mapping as part of VanPlay, the City's Parks and recreation services master plan.Additional Helpful Links:Equity Initiative Zones article that Katherine wrote for TheCityFixFort Collins, Colorado - Nature in the CityFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Various mixes also by John SimmermanResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2021Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Kelly Rodgers, a Ph.D. doctoral candidate in Urban Studies at Portland State University and the founder of the non-profit evidence-based resource platform, Streetsmart.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 helps users make the case for healthy investments and prioritize strategies that meet community goals. The focus is on proven strategies that can help communities meet their goals for increasing physical activity, walking, and bicycling; reducing vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions; and improving equity and inclusion. Kelly provides some background about the origins of the name for this effort, how she came to start it, and how it ties in with her doctoral program. The conversation centers around how communities can use the Streetsmart platform as a practical tool to help facilitate and support change.Additional Links and Helpful Resources:STARS (Sustainable Transportation Analysis & Rating System) Kelly serves on the Steering Committee of PHEAL (Planning for Health Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership), pronounced "feel" - Mission:To reaffirm and expand the commitment of those involved in community planning and public health; to break down the obstacles preventing transdisciplinary, transformative collaboration; to dismantle oppressive systems, beliefs, values, and practices that negatively affect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, low income, immigrant, and other historically marginalized/under-represented communities (historically overburdened communities with health disparities); and to reorganize our systematic approaches to lead toward the path that will genuinely create and nurture healthy, equitable, and prosperous communities.ITE - Mission: To provide the global community of transportation professionals with the knowledge, practices, skills and connections to serve the needs of their communities and help shape the future of the profession and transportation in the societal context.Vice-chair, ITE Standing Committee on Transportation and HealthTRB Transportation Research Board - which is part of the National Academy of ScienceMember, Transportation Research Board, Standing Committee onTransportation and Public Health (AME70)American Public Health Association, Center for Climate, Health, and EquityFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Various mixes also by John SimmermanResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2021Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, the first of a new year and new season, I head up to Ontario, Canada (virtually) for a discussion with Jamie Stuckless and Darnel Harris about the policies associated with e-assist bikes and an innovative cargo-bike library. Jamie Stuckless is a Hamilton-based advocate and policy wonk who has become increasingly interested in and working on the needed legislative updates with regards to e-bikes and other electric mobility devices. We reference a recent article that she published about her first substantial experience riding an electric assist bike.While Darnel Harris is the Executive Director of Our GreenWay an NGO working to create a more resilient and equitable Northwest Toronto, a far flung, industrial exurb of the city of Toronto. We reference an article that Darnel published along with Sam Starr about the the post-pandemic future of electric assist cycles.Additional Helpful Links:Episode Landing Page on the Active Towns website Jamie's websiteJamie wrote a policy piece for the Ontario Good Roads Association Jamie and Darnel have both done a bit of writing for this e-bikes website: https://ebikes-international.com/Cycling Without AgeFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Various mixes also by John SimmermanResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2021Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

On this, the final day of the crazy year that was 2020, I look back and reflect on the 52 episodes in Season One, giving thanks to our guests and you, our listeners. I also 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 each of the episode landing pages, which feature special photos and video links.Season One Episode Landing Page Links:Active Towns Podcast IntroEpisode 1: Wading into Walkability w/ Heyden Black WalkerEpisode 2: Growing Old(er) w/ Preston TyreeEpisode 3: Reconnecting to Your Community w/ Darcy KitchingEpisode 4: It Could Be Me w/ Triny WillertonEpisode 5: Dream it, Plan it, GO FOR IT! w/ Katie DeollozEpisode 6: Ready to Ride w/ Mathias IhlenfeldEpisode 7: Getting Out There w/ Ryan Van DuzerEpisode 8: Rolling Forward with MoveATX w/ Jim WickEpisode 9: Updates from Bike Austin & Walk AustinEpisode 10: Main Street Transformation w/ Victor Dover & Raphael ClementeEpisode 11: Going Dutch w/ Chris BruntlettEpisode 12: Tactical Urbanism in a Pandemic w/ Mike LydonEpisode 13: Building Strong Towns w/ Chuck MarohnEpisode 14: It's All City Building w/ Mark NickitaEpisode 15: Composing a Compelling Narrative w/ Kea WilsonEpisode 16: Fighting Traffic w/ Peter NortonEpisode 17: Places People Love w/ Lynn RichardsEpisode 18: Inspiring Vibrancy w/ Amanda PopkenEpisode 19: Why The Overhead Wire w/ Jeff WoodEpisode 20: A Walker In LA w/ Alissa WalkerEpisode 21: Following Footprints w/ Dom Nozzi & Maggie WaddoupsEpisode 22: Active Explorations w/ Holly BennettEpisode 23: Cultivating Community w/ Kevin ShepherdEpisode 24: Startup CEO Reflections w/ Jennifer BairdEpisode 25: Streets for Everyone w/ Jill LocantoreEpisode 26: Rebuild Restore Renew w/ Roshun AustinEpisode 27: Shared Paths Boulder w/ Graham HillEpisode 28: Run This World w/ Nicole DeBoomEpisode 29: Induced Demand Innovations w/ Curtis RogersEpisode 30: A Session w/ Transportation Psychologist Bryan JonesEpisode 31: Exploring Every Street w/ Janelle NaessEpisode 32: Live Your Gold Medal Life w/ Susanne MengeEpisode 33: Discussing Our Transport Future w/ Todd LitmanEpisode 34: PeopleFor Bikes - Local Innovations w/ Kyle Wagenschutz & Sara StuddardEpisode 35: All Aboard w/ Mike ChristensenEpisode 36: Make a Difference w/ Charles BrownEpisode 37: A Bike Friendly Episode w/ Bill NesperEpisode 38: Rolling Down the Road w/ Commissioner Ellis & Fernando MartinezEpisode 39: Seville's "Overnight" Bike Network Success w/ Manuel CalvoEpisode 40: Lovable Places & People Habitats w/ Kaid BenfieldEpisode 41: A Wish For Wheels w/ Brad AppelEpisode 42: The Joy of Riding Again w/ Lennard ZinnEpisode 43: Parking Reforms w/ Donald ShoupEpisode 44: Bikepacking w/ Ryan Van Duzer (video)Episode 45: Reclaiming the Right of Way w/ Angie SchmittEpisode 46: Up For Anything w/ Pam LeBlanc (video)Episode 47: Human-Scaled Accessibility w/ Meredith GlaserEpisode 48: Rolling Down Santa Barbara's Car-Free Main Street w/ Frank Peters (video)Episode 49: Talking Fietsstraats or Bicycle Streets w/ Matt Pinder & Justin JonesEpisode 50: America Walks w/ Mike McGinnEpisode 51: How We Get Around w/ Andy BoenauEpisode 52: Taking Action w/ Jonathan Fertig (video)Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 pe...

In this episode, I connect with Jonathan Fertig, who is no stranger to the world of tactical urbanism, as he is compelled to do something to make the situation safer for everyone. We chat about what got him started in advocacy, his move to Denver, and how his life and activity levels have shifted now that he and his wife Helen are in the outdoor playground that is Colorado. This episode is also available as a video podcastFlowers 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 years of advocacy work in Boston and Denver. Additional Links:Episode Landing Page on Active Towns website (bonus photos)Jonathan's Twitter handlePOP-UP COMICS PUSH FOR BETTER BIKE LANES - story Boston Globe article Treehugger article Cycling Weekly articleTactical Urbanism book published by Island PressMike Lydon of Street Plans and his Active Towns Podcast EpisodeBikeyface9News Complete Streets StoryDenver Bicycle LobbyDenver Streets Partnership our Active Towns Podcast Episode with Jill LocantoreBicycle ColoradoRed Cup StoryDenver Streetsblog Interview of JonathanKidical Mass Denver and Arleigh GreenwaldSTROAD definition Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Funky Brown Business, Groovy Ska Fun Time, and Caribbean Funk by Jason Donnelly via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Veteran podcaster Andy Boenau from Richmond, VA, for a discussion about the power of storytelling and persuasion when it comes to transforming our built environments. Andy Boenau has a formal background as a transportation engineer, but his career has gradually evolved over the years and now he focuses much of his energy on how storytelling, marketing principles, and persuasion can help us transform our communities into more walkable, bike-able, and people-oriented places.He is the podcast host of the Urbanism Speakeasy and How We Get Around Follow Andy on TwitterAdditional Helpful Links:The Active Towns landing page for this episode - check out the cool photos Andy sent throughCNU - Congress for the New UrbanismTactical Urbanism epsiodeFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Virginia Skyline by Jastin Batts, Acoustic Loop 12 by Joel Thomas Hunger, and Walk in the Park by Neil Cross via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I welcome Mr. Michael McGinn into our virtual studios for a wide-ranging conversation about creating cities for people. Michael McGinn served as the 52nd mayor of Seattle, WA and was recently selected as the new Executive Director of America Walks, a 20-year old national nonprofit organization that has been leading the way in advancing safe, equitable, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and move by giving people and communities the resources to effectively advocate for change. Additional Helpful Links:Episode Landing Page on the Active Towns websiteBrompton BicyclesDavid Byrne, Bicycle DiariesStrong TownsRight of Way WebinarAngie Schmitt's Active Towns Podcast EpisodeCharles Brown's Active Towns Podcast EpisodeAlissa Walker's Active Towns Podcast EpisodeKea Wilson's Active Towns Podcast EpisodeFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Serious Deep House by Fredrik Storm, Uplifting Technology Electronic by Velimir Andreev, and Happy Arps by Christina Nemo via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Matt Pinder and Justin Jones for a detailed discussion about the ubiquitous Dutch Fietsstraats or Bicycle Priority Streets and how North American cities can best implement these innovative facilities. Matt Pinder, a Senior Designer with Alta Planning + Design, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and Justin Jones, Manager of Bicycle Friendly Communities with the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada decided to dive into the details of the Bicycle Priority Street and its North American analogs with a series of articles posted on Matt's blog Beyond the AutomobileWhen 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 is that the majority of their streets feature some form of shared space, including the ever-present "Fietsstraat" or bicycle priority street.Additional Helpful Links:The episode landing page for some fun photos and other extras.The Active Towns Podcast Episode featuring Charles BrownOakland, CA - Slow Streets ProgramFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Walking California Style by Keith LuBrant, Uplifting Acoustic Loop by Joel Thomas Hunger, and Gentle Happiness by Bruce Zimmerman via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I catch up with bicycle and clean air advocate extraordinaire Frank Peters of Santa Barbara, CA. The primary topic is the city's transformation of State Street, its iconic downtown main street, into a car-free zone because of the devastating impacts from Covid-19. 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 coronavirus pandemic, Covid-19. Santa Barbara, California took the bold step of making State Street, the main shopping and dining destination in the downtown district, a car-free zone and the results have been amazing.Helpful & Relevant Links:Video version of this episode (shortened)Episode landing page on Active Towns websiteWalk Bike Places Conference Russ Roca and Path Less Pedaled Oregon Scenic BikewaysSanta Barbara Bicycle CoalitioncycleCalCoastFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Ultimate Inspiration by Sander Kalmeijer, Perfect Smile by Lance Conrad, and Uplifting Forward Thinking by Jeppe Reil and Thomas Reil via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect with Meredith Glaser, a Ph.D. doctoral candidate within the University of Amsterdam's Urban Cycling Institute, for a discussion about living in The Netherlands as an ex-pat from California, accelerating reform to support human-scaled accessibility, and developing an understanding about the transfer of knowledge from study tours. Meredith 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 understanding of Dutch cycling and how other cities around the world can best learn from the experiences of The Netherlands. In this long-form interview with John Simmerman, Founder of the Active Towns Initiative and host of the Active Towns Podcast, Meredith discusses what it has been like to make such a huge change culturally and how active mobility becomes second nature because of the built form, policy structures, and societal norms.Meredith also discusses in-depth two recent papers she has published along with some of her colleagues at the Urban Cycling Institute, Learning from abroad: An interdisciplinary exploration of knowledge transfer in the transport domain and Accelerating reform to govern streets in support of human-scaled accessibilityAdditional and Helpful Links: Spokes! Ridecast video with Meredith Glaser: Where did all the traffic lights go?Amsterdam Bike Tour by Urban Planner Meredith Glaser videoFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Happy Uplifting Dance Track by Fredrik Storm, Happy News by Evgeny-Kiselevich, and Road to Success by Mikael Manvelyan via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I catch up with Pam LeBlanc, a freelance writer based in Austin, TX, who is constantly creating content about adventure, fitness, and travel. In addition to chatting about some of her recent and upcoming explorations, they talk about her recently published book. NOTE: Video episode available. 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 between several big trips to learn more about her latest adventures and the publication of her first book, My Stories, All True: J. David Bamberger on Life as an Entrepreneur and Conservationist published by Texas A&M University Press.Additional Helpful Links:Active Towns Landing Page for this episode - to access the video version, photos, and bonus materialPam's website: pamleblancadventures.com Facebook pageInstagramFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Simply Adorkable by Sander Kalmeijer and Happy Walk by Simon Jomphe Lepine via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Angie Schmitt, the author of the new book Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America published by Island Press. We discuss the many complicated and convoluted reasons why this has been happening and talk about some of the inspiring, hopeful stories of change she highlighted in the book. Helpful Links:Streetfilms video of Jorge Canez aka Peatónito ("little pedestrian") https://www.streetfilms.org/peatonito-is-in-nyc-protecting-pedestrians-from-cars-in-the-crosswalk/Streetsblog USA Pedestrian Safety: The Last Frontier - Clarence M. Ditlow, III https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_DitlowIt Could Be Me campaign, Triny Willerton Families for Safe Streets https://www.transalt.org/familiesforsafestreetsSTROAD Defined Angie’s new firm: 3mph Planning and ConsultingThe suburb where everyone can walk to school, Lakewood, OH: Streetsblog article and Streetsfilms video Disney’s Motor Mania Cartoon - Mr. Walker vs. Mr. Wheeler, videoHans Monderman - Shared StreetsFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Escaping Forever by Michael Vignola, Stay with Me by Lance Conrad, and The Dark Night by Neil-Cross via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I welcome back a good friend to the Active Towns Podcast, 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 video version of a select number of our future episodes that will really benefit from having a visual component. Ryan is the perfect guest for our first video episode because of all his vibrant imagery that he produces on his DuzerTV YouTube channel. So if you'd like to watch the video podcast version of this episode click on this link: Bikepacking w/ Ryan Van Duzer - video Additional Helpful Links:- Bikepacking Magazine- Priority Bicycles- Caballo Blanco Copper Canyon Ultra Run 2021 Sign-up- League of American Bicyclists- PeopleForBikes- Our First Active Towns Podcast Interview w/ Ryan - Our on-bike video interview w/ Ryan - StreamYard - Mira the Super Dog's Instagram Account - Born to Run Book - Barefoot Ted - RAGBRAI Bike Ride Across Iowa Some of Ryan's Videos mentioned in the podcast:- Backyard Bikepacking - Tahoe Twirl Playlist- The Great Divide Playlist- Caballo Blanco Run 2017- Caballo Blanco Run 2018- Baja Bikepacking Part 1- Baja Bikepacking Part 2- RAGBRAI 2019 Videos- Ryan's Priority Bikepacking Bike- Ryan's Pack List for the Great Divide Ride- Ryan's Priority Apollo Bike Review- Ryan's Behind the Scenes Filmmaking Process- Colorado Hut Trip Playlist 2019- Ryan's mom gets an e-bike- Community Cycles Moves by Cargo-bike- Living a Car-Free LifestyleFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Progressive Pop Dua Lipa Feel by Elonte Chandler, Morning Sun by Will Van De Crommert, and Happy and Inspiring by James Grant via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Donald Shoup, a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA for a fascination discussion about how strategic parking policy reforms can help create healthy, vibrant communities. In 2005, Donald Shoup published a nearly 800-page book called The High Cost of Free Parking which quickly became a "cult-classic" in urbanism, transportation, and planning circles. In 2018 he followed up by editing Parking and the City a series of case studies, stories, and learnings from around the world.Perhaps the most significant achievement in his writings, presentations, and conversations is how he makes talking about parking policy interesting, engaging, and even humorous at times.Additional Helpful Links:Episode Landing Page on the Active Towns website (bonus photos)Parkumentaries - including a link the Adam Ruins Everything truTV video Adam Ruins Everything Podcast Episode featuring Donald ShoupParking ArticlesCNU27 - Louisville, KY keynote presentation videoShoupistas Facebook GroupFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Summer Techno Jam by Christina Nemo, Destination Optimistic by Simon Jomphe Lepine, and Technology & Motivation by Ihor Vitsinskyy via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, we have a wide-ranging discussion with Lennard Zinn, a Boulder, Colorado-based former elite-level bike racer, journalist, author, and custom bike builder. Lennard is probably best known for his frequent technical journalistic contributions on VeloNews and his incredibly popular books published by VeloPress on bike maintenance and repair, Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance and Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance.He's also a co-author, along with Chris Case and Dr. John Mandrola, of The Haywire Heart: How too much exercise can kill you, and what you can do to protect your heart and he has become the go-to builder of custom titanium bikes for big & tall riders with his company Zinn Cycles and has stock steel bikes through a partnership with KHS.Our conversation kicks off with a description of how he made the transition from an elite-level racer to a bike builder, then journalist and author, and finally we dive into the emerging details of "athlete's heart syndrome" or "haywire heart".Additional Helpful Links:APS Physics Interview from 2017Tom Ritchey - Ritchey BikesCycling to Extremes Article - VeloNewsDavis Phinney - Davis Phinney Foundation helping people with Parkinson'sConnie Carpenter-Phinney - USA Cycling Hall of FameDave Scott, Six-Time Ironman Triathlon World Champion - Dave's PagePeter SaganEgan BernalDr. Shannon Sovndal ~ Garmin Sharp Pro Cycling TeamHeart Arrhythmia, Tachycardia, FibrillationPatellofemoral Pain SyndromeBoulder B-Cycle ~ B-Cycle e-Assist BikeAustin B-Cycle ~ CapMetro & City PartnershipA Recent Article on e-bikesBosch e-Bike SystemsZinn Fondo articleStrava KOM or QOM defined, tipsBike Power MeterTitanium - tensile strength Cross Country Skiing Techniques - Skate & Classic and BackcountryCyclo-crossFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Rose Colored Glasses by Lance Conrad, Uplifting Acoustic Loop by Joel Thomas Hunger, and Heartland and Home by Will Van De Crommert via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020

In this episode, I connect with Brad Appel, the Founder and Executive Director of this amazing initiative about how the simple gift of a bicycle can have such a profound and positive influence on children. We discuss how the program leverages corporate engagement and organizational teamwork in delivering the bikes as well as the various adjustments necessitated by the current Covid19 pandemic.For the past 16 years the Wish For Wheels non-profit based in Denver, CO has been connecting second-graders in title 1 schools in underserved communities across the country with the joy that a new bicycle brings. A few weeks ago John had the honor of interviewing Brad Appel, the founder and executive director of this amazing initiative.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 just an unattainable dream. The Wish For Wheels program based in Denver, CO strives to get bikes to second graders in title 1 schools in underserved communities across the country.Additional Helpful Links:Episode Landing Page on the Active Towns (bonus photos)Bike Ride PodcastAndy BoenauCar-Free Fire Island, NYPATH - Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii - Bike Ed ProgramWoom Bikes - Active Towns Podcast Episode w/ Mathias IhlenfeldPeopleForBikesLeague of American BicyclistsBicycle ColoradoIt Could Be Me - Active Towns Podcast Episode w/ Triny Willerton, Founder of It Could Be MeHeadsweats - The fabulous folks behind our Active Towns logo hats w/ retro-reflective side panelsPandanaUSA - The tube bandana people that produced our super cool custom micro-fiber neck gaiters Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Salted Popcorn by John McClung, Summer Fun by Ihor-Vitsinskyy, and Surprisingly Quirky by Sander Kalmeijer via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect with Kaid Benfield, a veteran urbanism professional and published author who tirelessly advocates for the creation and celebration of places that people love. 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, he serves as senior counsel at PlaceMakers LLC, a city and town planning consultancy working across the United States and Canada. Before joining PlaceMakers in 2015, Kaid worked for over 30 years as a senior attorney and program director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, where he founded and led the organization’s sustainable communities program and, before that, managed the litigation of some of the organization’s most important legal cases. A prolific public speaker and writer, Kaid’s large portfolio of publications spans several books and over a thousand articles for such publications as The Atlantic, HuffPost, CityLab, PlaceShakers and Newsmakers, and numerous other websites and academic journals. Kaid was voted one of "the 100 most influential urbanists" worldwide on the prominent city planning website, Planetizen.com, and previously was named one of "the most influential people in sustainable planning and development" by the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and "one of the top 100 city innovators worldwide" by the website Future Cities. His latest book is People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think About Greener, Healthier Cities, distributed by Island Press.During his tenure at NRDC, Kaid was a co-founder of Smart Growth America, a leading nonprofit organization and nationwide coalition working on revitalizing cities, building better neighborhoods for all people, and stopping the spread of suburban sprawl. He also co-founded LEED for Neighborhood Development, a national process for defining and certifying smart, environmentally sound land development under the auspices of the US Green Building Council. In addition, Kaid is an adjunct professor at the George Washington University School of Law, where he has taught law, policy, and best practices for sustainable communities. An avid cyclist, ardent music buff, and enthusiastic sports fan, Kaid grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and holds degrees from Emory University and Georgetown University Law Center. He lives with his wife Sharon in a walkable DC neighborhoodIn this episode, John and Kaid talk about the impact and importance of getting out of our cars to experience and appreciate our communities in a much more intimate and meaningful manner. They also dive into Kaid's passion for cycling, strategies for making a difference locally, and the vital necessity of engaging people of color in the discussions and planning efforts in the transformations of their communities. Additional & Helpful Links:Active Towns Podcast Episode w/ Nicole DeBoomActive Towns Podcast Episode w/ Roshun AustinActive Towns Podcast Episode w/ Charles BrownWalkScoreTransitScoreRichard Louv Books on Nature and Nature DeficitBuild Maine 2020 ProgramFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Marshall Co by Sander Kalmeijer, Dude by Bruce Zimmerman, and Johnny and the Pale Rider by Paul Mitchell Beebe via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring effo

In this episode, I reconnect with Manu Calvo of Seville, Spain for a discussion about the extraordinary feat the city achieved in dropping down a nearly complete safe, and inviting cycle network in just 18 months.While it's true that they don't garner the attention of 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 nearly complete "All Ages & Abilities" cycle network in just 18 months. In this episode, one of the "architects" and chief cheerleaders of this effort, Manu Calvo reflects on that experience and gives us an update on the current status and future plans.This is story is particularly relevant to North American cities because cycling simply wasn't part of their culture prior to this initiative with incredibly low rates of people riding, mostly just a few recreational enthusiasts, however after the network was in place they saw a massive increase to approximately a 7% modal share, which then grew to 10%+ after additional expansions to the network were later built out. Now they are constrained by their capacity and need to widen many of the most popular routes especially immediately outside the city's ancient wall that protects is historic core.Additional & Helpful Links:Places For Bike Conference - Indianapolis, IN article about Manu’s presentation in Indy Velo City Conference SRAM Cycling Fund - Randy Neufeld PeopleForBikesTactical Urbanism - Mike Lydon’s Active Towns Podcast episodeNew York Transformation of Broadway Times SquareStreetfilms Seville VideoBloomberg City Lab VideoEstudioMCChris Bruntlett w/ Dutch Cycling EmbassyFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:A Spanish Affair, Magic Hour, Spanish Fiesta by Neil Cross via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Rodney Ellis, Commissioner, Harris County, Precinct 1, and the Precinct 1 Bike Program Director, Fernando Martinez for an in-depth conversation about how the city of Houston, TX is progressing towards a more bicycle-friendly environment in large part because of the leadership, dedication, and support of Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Bike Program Director Fernando Martinez.When thinking of Houston, TX, the phrase bicycle-friendly environment rarely comes to mind, but if these two distinguished leaders have their way, that's exactly what the future will hold.Additional Helpful Links:Houston Bike PlanBike HoustonHarris County Investment in B-Cycle SystemBayou Greenways InvestmentHouston Parks & Rec - Bayou GreenwaysHouston Parks BoardHouston B-CycleBike TexasLeague of American Bicyclists and the Bicycle Friendly America InitiativeMS 150 Ride Gil Penalosa 8 - 80 CitiesFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Destination Optimistic, Confidence Allure, and Taking Care of Business by Simon Jomphe Lepine via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with the Bike League's Executive Director, Bill Nesper, to learn what's new in the quest to create a more bicycle-friendly nation. 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 Friendly America. Through education, advocacy and promotion, we work to celebrate and preserve the freedom cycling brings to our members everywhere. Bicycling brings people together.When more people ride bikes: Life is better for everyone; Communities are safer, stronger and better connected; Our nation is healthier, economically stronger, environmentally cleaner and more energy independent.In this conversation, John and Bill dive deep into the great work the League is involved with and we get to learn a bit about Bill's own journey along the way. Additional Helpful Links:Bicycle Friendly AmericaNational Bike SummitSafe Cycling Education ProgramHappy City Book by Charles MontgomeryEco CounterIt Could Be MeVision Zero NetworkThinkBike WorkshopDutch Cycling EmbassyFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Joyful Ride, Destination Happiness, and Lifestyle by Simon Jomphe Lepine via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect with Charles Brown of Rutgers University for a dive deep into the inequities inherent in our transportation networks and how we can collectively make a difference in our communities.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 network is fraught with challenges of inequities at its very foundation. Our guest in this episode, Charles Brown, serves as a senior researcher with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) and adjunct professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, both at Rutgers University. He also serves as a 2020 Fellow within the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication in Partnership with The OpEd Project. And he has dedicated his career to speaking up for the voiceless. We cover a lot of ground in this discussion including the realities of our current times, the simple joys of riding a bike, and what we can all do to make a difference in our communities.Additional Links:Book: Color of LawWalking While BlackWalking Towards JusticeFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Searching for Hope by Neil Cross, Emotional Epic Trailer by Valentina Gribanova, Ballad Hip Hop Prime by Simon Jomphe Lepine, and Live Free Tropical Beat by CJ Harris via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, Mike Christensen of Salt Lake City, Utah tells us about his new venture the Utah Rail Passengers Association and describes how he's able to lead a car-light lifestyle in a car-centric western city. 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 an option in Utah yet again. Follow Mike on Twitter @MRC_SLCCNU28 A Virtual Gathering Fun Run/Ride VideoFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Technology and Motivation by Ihor Vitsinskyy and Way To Success by Mikael Manvelyan via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I catch up with the Director, Kyle, and Sara, Deputy Director, of the Local Innovations initiative to see how the cities they are working with have been progressing in general, as well as how they've been responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and black lives matters movement. 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 jumps in ridership levels. Additional Helpful Links:Bike Nerds PodcastNational Civil Rights MuseumRoshun Austin - The Works, Inc. - Memphis, TNExplore Bike Share, Memphis, TNBig Jump Video Montage 2018PeopleForBikes Big Jump Shortie 2019PeopleForBikes Study Tour w/ Austin Officials 2019 VideoFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Simplicity by Zac Nelson via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect with Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI) for an in-depth discussion about the exciting connection between land use and transportation. Additional Helpful Links:Todd's Planetizen BlogCNU - Active Town Bike Tour Video of Victoria, BCDonald Shoup - The High Cost of Free ParkingCargo bikes: Bakfiets and Urban ArrowFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Make Your Own Success by James Grant and Rising Up by Neil Cross via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I catch up with Susanne Menge, a dear friend from Boulder, CO, who helps people live their best lives. Susanne helps people discover their passions and learn how to achieve their goals and a sense of joy or as she likes to say "Live Your Gold Medal Life".From her website:I am a passionate lover of humans. I am naturally kind, compassionate and caring and bring that to all of my work. I am a lifelong learner who started with study of the physical body, evolved into the study of thought and emotions and then dove head first into studying energy. When I learned I was not my thoughts and followed that by learning about energy, I knew I had found my answer to all the 'stress management' I have been trying to sort out all of my life. I have been guiding clients on their way to unleashing their potential for over 20 years and as I grow, my work deepens and continues to evolve. I work with people ready to unlock their untapped capacity and live the life they really want!To learn more about Susanne and her services be sure to check out her website at: susannemenge.comAdditional Fun and Helpful Links: Weight Loss Simplified webinarSusanne's Facebook page, where she shares a lot of amazing contentFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Destination Optimistic by Simon Jomphe Lepine via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Janelle Naess of Laguna Beach, CA, one of our podcast listeners who just happens to have an inspiring story to tell about her 2020 New Year's resolution. Janelle had a wonderful idea for the new year, walk, and document every street in her hometown. She was already a passionate explorer of her beach city and had been profiling cool stuff to see in her blog LagunaBeachWalks.com and on her Instagram account, but she realized that she was kind of in a rut, walking many of the same streets over and over again. It was time to explore and then the novel coronavirus Covid19 struck. She shares how she handled the challenge and some of the surprises that emerged along the way.Additional Fun and Helpful Links: Her story in the local paperThe Promenade on Forest: Visit Laguna Beach ProfileThe Promenade on Forest: City PageFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Happy Walk by Simon Jomphe Lepine via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Bryan Jones, City Manager of Eastvale, CA. Eastvale, CA is the second-youngest city in the state of California and as you'll learn from this conversation with its City Manager, Bryan Jones it's also a city without a downtown, but that will hopefully change soon as they have identified 162 acres that they hope to develop soon.You'll also learn that Bryan is a passionate winemaker and has a fun alter ego as The Transportation PsychologistAdditional Helpful Links:The Dover Kohl Public Realm Blog & VideoLive Oak Vineyard https://www.facebook.com/LiveOakVineyard/Eastvale CrimeWatch and Reportinghttps://eastvalecrimewatchreporting.com/Move through Motivationhttps://youtu.be/TeHYVLsJKwshttps://www.facebook.com/movethroughmotivation/Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Friday Night Downtown by Neil Cross and Down at the Club by Patrick Smith via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Curtis Rogers, Co-Founder & COO of Parkade, for a discussion about innovative ways that communities can flip the concept of induced demand on its head to encourage active mobility and more vibrant business districts.Curtis also 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 through how this new awareness led to an innovative solution to excess motor vehicle parking that actually has the potential of encouraging people to adopt active mobility options.We also talk about why he moved from California to Austin, TX, his participation on the Austin Bicycle Advisory Council, and the pop-up Covid19 Healthy Streets installation in his neighborhood on the east side of town.Helpful Links: Austin’s Healthy Streets InitiativeBook: The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup, Vox article Parkade: Helping End Empty Parking LotsInduced Demand City of Austin Bicycle Advisory CouncilNewly Installed Congress Ave Pop-up Bike Lane video and article NACTO Covid19 Rapid Response Tool Kit Protected Bike Lanes Make Walking Safer TooStrong Towns PodcastWar on CarsPlaza Saltillo EndeavorRE siteDom & Maggie Active Towns Podcast Episode - Avoiding Drinking & DrivingFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Clear Sky and Confident Beginning by Jeppe Sorensen via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect with Nicole DeBoom, a former professional triathlete, Ironman Triathlon champion, founder of Skirt Sports and the non-profit Running Start, and host of the fabulous Run This World Podcast. Nicole is truly a force of nature, and she is clearly passionate about empowering people, especially women live the best lives possible.As a former accomplished professional athlete in the sport of triathlon, she knows what it takes to work hard to achieve one's goals, she took that drive and applied it to an entrepreneurial vision, athletic apparel that actually inspires and empowers women, and thus Skirt Sports was born. She also launched a non-profit Running Start to help coach women through significant life barriers to healthier more active lives.And three years ago she launched her wonderful Podcast Run This World - And here's the link to Her Podcast Patreon PageNot surprisingly Nicole is an inspiring public speakerAdditional and Helpful Links:Active Towns video profile of NicoleKara BurnsDress for Success Denver programKerry Gilmartin, Bamboobies Katherine Switzer - 1967 Boston MarathonMolly Barker - Girls on the RunHolly Bennett Active Towns Podcast episodeJill Angie, Not Your Average RunnerMirna Valerio Williams sisters circa 2003/2004Colleen Cannon, Women’s QuestHeather Fuhr Tim DeBoom Ironman Hall of FameLongevity: Blue Zones, Dan BuettnerFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Clear Sky by Jeppe Sorensen via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect with Graham Hill, Founder & Executive Director of Shared Paths in Boulder, CO, an innovative stewardship initiative that supports over 90 miles of paved urban pathways.Shared Paths Boulder central focus is the creation of shared community on the paths.Founded in 2016, this program provides stewardship support through a network of passionate volunteers.Graham talks about the launch of the program and its purpose as well as how they are dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Additional and Helpful Links:City of Boulder Network of Trails and PathwaysGoBoulderNew Bridges of Boulder Creek to CU13st Street Neighborhood GreenstreetGoose Creek Addition North Boulder Art DistrictBoulder Little Free Library Facebook PageBear Hunt ChallengeWay of the Path program by the cityVision Zero BoulderScooters/MicromobilityBoulder B-CycleFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Spruce and Pine by Sander Kalmeijer via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect 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 conversation, Roshun and her fabulous team of dedicated professionals are involved in so many efforts and initiatives to Rebuild, Restore, and Renew the communities they serve. Below are links to a few of the topics we discuss.Additional Helpful Links:South Memphis Farmers MarketThe GrocerCooking MattersGreenleaf Learning Farm: Knowledge QuestSouth Memphis Revitalization Action Plan The Big Jump ProjectSo Memphis Glide RideRevolutions Bicycle Coop Renaissance ParkExplore Bike ShareFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Memphis Funk by Bobby Cole via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Jill Locantore, Executive Director of the Denver Streets Partnership, for a discussion about the progress the city is making to create safer, more inviting streets for everyone.Previously with Walk Denver, Jill Locantore recently became Denver Streets Partnership's first Executive Director.City of Denver Shared StreetsPARK(ing) DayBoulder 20 is PlentyKyle Clark's 9News Commentary on Safer Streets for everyone New survey results Shared and Open Streets and survey summary reportFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Uplifting Upbeat and Corporate Business Inspiration by Denis Pavlov via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, we're joined by Jennifer Baird, a veteran Startup CEO and serial entrepreneur. Jen shares her strategies for bringing movement into her personal and professional lives and the benefits she'd documented over the years. 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 unique perspective on how important it is both personally and professionally to promote a culture of activity and practice daily movement.Additional Links: Be sure to check her fabulous blog: startupceoreflections.com Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Outside in 2 by Nathan Kreiswirth, Great Outdoors by Ceiri Torjussen, Joshua Alexander Kramer, and Spring Comes Early this Year by Sander Kalmeijer via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Kevin Shepherd, Founder and CEO of Verdunity a firm dedicated to fiscally-informed planning, engineering, and community engagement services that help city leaders align their vision, policies, and investments with what citizens are willing and able to pay for.He and his team also host the fabulous Go Cultivate Podcast. Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Broken by Michael Vignola and Your Life Is An Inspiration by Veaceslav Draganov via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Holly Bennett, a world traveler, endurance athlete, and remote worker extraordinaire. She shares her story of personal transformation, commitment to active living, and some of the amusing things that happen to her when she’s out running and riding.Holly also shares how a four-month-long bicycle trip changed her life trajectory and inspired a passion for movement Additional Advice and Helpful Links from Holly: Banjo Brothers PanniersNite Ize Bike LightsFelt Bicycles Go to your local bike shop, test ride a few different bikes, and buy the one that you feel the most comfortable on—doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, just comfortable. Because the better you feel on the bike, the more likely you are to ride. You can also get inexpensive bikes at places like Costco, Target, etc.—so even if smaller shops are closed now, there are options. But your best bet is to establish a relationship with your local shop, as you’ll get more personalized service and advice. Learn to change a flat tire! It’s a basic yet critical skill to have—and it’s not that hard. When I started riding regularly, I went to my local shop and asked them to show me how. Check your local shop or your community recreation program for basic bike mechanic classes. Or go online—you can learn just about anything on YouTube. Now, during the lockdown is the perfect time to practice! You’ll feel much more empowered when you know how to handle a flat, and your rides won’t get cut short unexpectedly by having to call for someone to pick you up on the road. Carry basic tools: tube/patch kit, pump/co2, tire iron, allen wrench set for minor adjustments Be prepared—pack snacks and plenty of fluids. What I carry on my bike right now in the Arizona heat:insulated Avana Sedona tumbler filled with ice water (the tapered tumbler fits perfectly in the coffee cup holder)insulated BlenderBottle Hydration Halex bottle* (designed to fit in bike bottle cages, this bottle has a unique vertical mode and integrated straw, allowing you to take a refreshing drink while keeping your eyes on the road) *btw the Halex is a brand new release and will be available on June 26thlarge insulated Owala FreeSip bottle (this bottle has a leak-proof, locking lid—I keep the 32-oz. size in my pannier full of ice water, then use it to refill my tumbler as needed)mixed nuts and dried fruit packed in Whiskware Snacking ContainersClif BarsFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Island Temptation by Sander Kalmeijer via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I catch up with the Boulder-based Follow Our Footprints dynamic duo Dom Nozzi and Maggie Waddoups of Boulder, Colorado. Dom and Maggie, as a couple, are enthusiastic supporters of the Active Towns Initiative, which we sincerely appreciate, and cheerleaders for all things associated with creating more livable, walkable, bikeable, and lovable places. Dom is a veteran urbanist and author of the book Road to Ruin: An Introduction to Sprawl and How to Cure It, whereas Maggie is a relative newcomer to the topic and provides a truly refreshing perspective to the discussion. We cover a wide range of subjects including their move to a downtown adjacent condo just a block away from Pearl Street, Maggie’s introduction to Dutch upright bikes and utilitarian cycling, the Mapleton Hill PorchFest, as well as their new blog Follow Our Footprints which strive to show how to engage in self-guided, affordable, unforgettable travel to the historic old town centers of Western Europe“Bicycling in Europe is a lot of fun. You can bicycle almost anywhere in Europe – and not the kind of cycling where you put on your lycra and a helmet and push through 75 miles in a day. I am talking about riding a bicycle around town to see sights and visit neighborhoods, pedal through parks, and even ride to neighboring villages – all at a leisurely and enjoyable pace, and without getting run down by cars or feeling unsafe.”Additional Helpful Links:Follow Our Footprints Facebook pageHoliday NeighborhoodVictor Dover - Dover, Kohl & Partners Town PlanningPorchFest Mapleton HillStart Your Own PorchFestActive Towns 2019 PorchFest VideoFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Driving Passion by Simon Jomphe Lepine via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Alissa Walker with Curbed for a virtual stroll in Los Angeles. Alisa lives in Los Angeles, where she is a co-host of LA Podcast, a contributor to the KCRW show Greater LA, and a mom to the city's two most enthusiastic public transit riders.From her bio at Curbed... "Alissa Walker connects people with where they live through writing, speaking, and walking. As the urbanism editor at Curbed, she authors the column Word on the Street, highlighting the pioneering transit, clever civic design, and game-changing policy affecting our cities.For her writing on design and urbanism, Alissa has been named a USC Annenberg/Getty Arts Journalism Fellow and Journalist of the Year by Streetsblog Los Angeles. In 2012 her project Good Ideas for Cities was selected for inclusion in the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. In 2015 she received the Design Advocate award from the LA chapter of the American Institute of Architects. She is also the co-founder of design east of La Brea, a nonprofit that has received two National Endowment for the Arts grants supporting its LA design events."We cover a wide variety of topics in this episode, including walking in LA, the impacts of Covid-19 on transit and transportation, bike share, and so much more.Additional Helpful LinksAlissa’s May 13 article about Covid-19 Impacting her familyMissing Persons “Walking in LA”Purple Line Subway Extension Curbed article on Bike Share Metro Bike SystemMy Figueroa ProjectThe Pandemic Has Turned Los Angeles Into a Walker City by Geoff McFetridge, NYTimes, April 23, 2020“When this is over, I don’t want the traffic to come back. I want all this extra time with my family. I want to hold on to this quietness.” “I want to see people walking our streets and not feel that their presence is somehow related to the world’s falling apart.” Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic: Indie a la Mode by Will Dan De Crommert and Reflect for Later by William L Newman both via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Jeff Wood, founder of The Overhead Wire, a sustainable transportation and urbanism consulting firm and weekly news curation service. Jeff is also the founder and primary host of the Talking Headways Podcast, which is associated with Streetsblog USAJeff gives us some background about the firm, its name, and a view into the current situation in San Francisco.Additional Helpful Links:San Francisco Open Streets articleSF Covid-19 ResponseReconnecting AmericaNew Zealand's Response: Funding Popup Bike LanesActive Towns Podcast episode with Mike LydonAustin's Transit Plan: Project ConnectThe Rail~Volution PodcastActive Towns Podcast Episode with Kea Wilson Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Joyful Ride by Simon Jomphe Lepine via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect with Amanda Popken, principal owner of Amanda Popken Development, for an inspiring conversation about her placemaking & community engagement activities, which have an emphasis on building resilient neighborhoods and cities. And as you'll quickly learn she sees active mobility playing a critical role in achieving these goals.Additional and Helpful Links:Strong TownsCNU - Congress for the New UrbanismActive Towns Podcast episode with Mike LydonStreetsblog Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Welcome Home by Neil Cross and Ultimate Inspiration by Sander Kalmeijer via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect with Lynn Richards, President & CEO of CNU (the Congress for the New Urbanism), a membership-based organization dedicated to building places people love.New urbanists are a diverse, multidisciplinary, action-oriented group working to build places people love. As head of CNU, Richards has launched the organization’s Project for Code Reform, which helps meet local governments where they are on their code reform process. Additionally, under her leadership, the organization has released two editions of Freeways without Futures, 25 Great Ideas of New Urbanism and Building Local Strength: Emerging Strategies for Inclusive Development.Additional Helpful Links:CNU's On the Park BenchVirtual Public Engagement featuring Victor Dover, with Dover, Kohl, & Partners Town PlanningMike Lydon, with Street PlansR. John Anderson and the Incremental Development Alliance Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Building a Dream by soundscape via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I talk with Peter Norton, author of Fighting Traffic about some of the parallels of the dawn of the motor age with our current pandemic and the push for more people-oriented space on our streets.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 to facilitate a bit of physical distancing while getting a breath of fresh air, who better to welcome into the Active Towns Podcast than the preeminent transportation historian, Peter D. Norton, Associate Professor of History in the Department of Engineering and Society at the University of Virginia and the author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City, published in 2008, by the MIT Press.Additional Helpful Links:Fietsstraat (or bicycle priority street) Woonerf (or shared street)Silent Spring by Rachel CarsonLevel of Service (LOS) Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Happy News by Evgeny Kiselevich via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I catch up with Kea Wilson, Senior Editor with StreetsblogAs 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 her role with Streetsblog she produces and publishes a healthy amount of content that we frequently share on the Active Towns social media channels.She's also quite passionate about affordable housing and she's stepped up to put her own "skin-in-the-game" by purchasing and renovating a multi-family property, providing high quality, well-maintained places.Some Helpful Links:Streetsblog USAWe Eat Our Own Kea's NovelKea's Strong Towns Contributor Page Our episode with Mike Lydon highlighting Tactical UrbanismFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Hip Hop Power Rap by Bobby Cole via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect with Mark Nickita of Archive DS for some city-building banter. 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, Archive DS (short for Design Studio: he explains the name in detail in the episode), splits his time between Birmingham, Detroit, and Toronto, while maintaining an ambitious (prior to our current pandemic lockdown) international travel schedule.Helpful Links:The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU)The National Association for City Transportation Officials (NACTO)Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Snap It Up by William Pearson via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect with Chuck Marohn, President of Strong Towns, for a discussion about how he came to experience and understand how our shifting human habitat patterns have contributed to the financial insolvency of our cities and compromised our health and well-being and most importantly how we can turn things around, even in the midst of a global pandemic.Helpful Links:Strong Towns CommunityStrong Towns PodcastStrong Towns VideosThe Impact of Shade: San Antonio VideoThe Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU)Smart Code bookFront Street in Brainerd, MN – articleJoe Minicozzi and Urban 3 Mike Lydon with Street PlansVictor Dover with Dover, Kohl, & Partners Town Planning Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Funky is as Funky Does & Upbeat Funky Good Times by Jason Donnelly via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 including:Street Plans, The firm he founded along with Tony GarciaTactical Urbanism BookTactical Urbanism GuidesThe recent CNU On the Park Bench Webinar video and presentationCOVID19 Livable Streets Response Strategies SpreadsheetCOVID-19 The Public Realm Photos NYC Response to COVID-19Streetsblog article about slowing traffic down and park strategiesQuiet Streets Massengale Op-EdAsphalt Art GuideBogata COVID-19 Bike Lanes Response Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:All Night Instrumental by Bobby Cole via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I reconnect with Chris Bruntlett with the Dutch Cycling Embassy to discuss a wide range of topics including the impacts of the current COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, what it was like to move the family across the globe, how their kids are thriving in a new environment that supports safe mobility options for "All Ages & Abilities", and so much more. 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 they wrote, Building the Cycling City: The Blueprint for Urban Vitality, Published by Island Press Helpful LinksDonald Appleyard study graphicFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Afterglow by Marshall Usinger via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 Authority about the impacts of COVID-19 they are seeing "on the ground" in their respective cities and neighborhoods as well as an in-depth conversation about the exciting new transformation West Palm Beach's Clematis Street, their historic main street.Other helpful links:The Knight FoundationInternational Parking DayOur West Palm Beach video on the famous Subculture bike rackFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Simplicity by Zac Nelson and Upbeat Corporate Success by James Grant via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, we dive in deep on all things active mobility and safer streets with Chris Riley with Bike Austin and Adam Greenfield with Walk Austin.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 growth these two organizations, Bike Austin and Walk Austin have been striving to represent the needs of the community from the perspective of active mobility and safer streets for everyone.Helpful Links:A Yield StreetSmall Incremental Bets - Strong TownsShoal Creek Blvd Celebration VideoFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Snap it Up by William Pearson via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, we are joined by Jim Wick, Lead Organizer with MOVEATX an advocacy organization dedicated to helping create a new mobility future for Austin, TX and the issues we discuss are most certainly relevant to many other cities in North America.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 can have a big impact on the ability for Austinites to choose different modes of transportation. We can make a safer mobility future for everyone, whether they are traveling on foot, bike, scooter, bus, train, or in a car.”“MoveATX is a coalition of community leaders, advocates, activists, and organizations that want to see a better mobility future for Austin and all of its residents. We believe that providing more mobility choices, more safety, and more multi-modal infrastructure will result in reduced congestion, fewer accidents, and a more equitable city. There’s peace on the road when everyone has a piece of the road.”This episode of the Active Towns Podcast addresses the complicated mobility topics and challenges that many cities across North America can relate to.The actual recording of the episode occurred in the days just prior to the major outbreak of cases in the United States associated with the COVID19 global pandemic.Helpful Links:City of Austin Active Transportation & Street Design DivisionAustin’s Bike Network ProgressCar Centric Induced DemandCycling and HappinessParking: The High Cost of Free ParkingWhy Change is so HardAustin’s Shoal Creek Blvd Protected Mobility Lane: VideoWide Streets and Speeding: Strong TownsCity of Austin 2016 Mobility BondHow Amsterdam Transformed Itself into the City We Now KnowThe Dutch Transit Cycle ConnectionAustin’s Bold Transit Future PlanHow We’ve Subsidized Car Dependency: Strong TownsCity of Austin’s Urban Trail ProgramFietsstraat (cyclestreet) from Wikipedia“A fietsstraat (cyclestreet) where bicycles are the main form of transport and cars are considered “guests".A fietsstraat (cyclestreet) is a road where bicycles are considered to be the primary and preferred form of transport and where cars and other motorised vehicles are allowed "as guests". There are four different types of fietsstraat but they are all required to have a speed limit of 30 km/h or less and are usually coloured in the same red asphalt as bike paths.[36]Fietsstraat streets exist mostly in residential areas where low-traffic roads exist anyway. A fietsstraat was in most cases originally a road that had low-traffic volumes beforehand and was therefore easily converted. They are an important type of infrastructure which makes Dutch towns and cities safer for cyclists. They can also be used for route separation to enable cyclists to avoid busier roads and have direct routes into and through towns.”PeopleForBikes FoundationAustin 2019 Dutch Study Tour VideoThe Benefits of Cycling Infrastructure to DriversFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:UP! by Marshall Usinger via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite ...

In this episode, I catch up with Ryan Van Duzer of DuzerTV and YouTube fame, and no big surprise, it's a wild ride in a very good way. Inspiring people to get off their couches and explore this beautiful planet through his storytelling is Ryan van Duzer's passionThe conversation kicks off with a quick recap of a recent adventure down to the Copper Canyon in Mexico where Ryan had just participated in the Caballo Blanco Ultra Marathon event, which was the race featured in the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.The discussion of adventures then turned to RAGBRAI, Ryan's mom and her amazing Priority electric-assist bike that has changed her life. Additional topics, adventures, and content covered include:RAGBRAI 2019Taking mom to BurningmanGermany Christmas Market TripBaja VideosBoston Standup Paddleboarding - Getting out of your comfort zoneMentions:- Clarence Eckerson, Jr. and Streetfilms- PeopleForBikes- Scott Jurek- Barefoot Ted Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Happy Sky by Briand A Melanson and Uplifting Forward Thinking by Jeppe Reil and Thomas Reil both via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★