Active Towns

In this episode, I reconnect with Michael "Mike" Pasternock, who has catapulted the Strong Towns YouTube Channel to new heights in the past year. We discuss his journey from a high school teacher in the Midwest to a wedding video producer in the Phoenix area to the new face of the Strong Towns YouTube Channel based in Chicago.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Active Towns Channel for more content.

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):

- Register for the Strong Towns National Gathering 
For 10% off, use my personal Active Towns Coupon Code: JOHNS2024 at checkout

- Strong Towns on YouTube
- Strong Towns website

Featured Strong Towns videos:
- Fix It or Move? You Don’t Have To Move To Live In A Better Place
- Conversation with an Engineer
- This Experiment Undid Our Cities. How Do We Fix It? 
- This Ponzi scheme Might END Suburban Prosperity
- Fayetteville: Are parking lots ruining your city? 
- Why is it so hard to cross the street? 

Channel Mentions:
- City Nerd
- Not Just Bikes
- Big Daws TV
- Steven Schapiro
- Colin and Samir
- City Beautiful
- Johnny Harris
- Cleo Abram
- Answer in Progress
- Film Booth
- Uytae Lee, About Here
- Ryan Van Duzer
- Faultline
- Flurf Design
- The Disneyfication of American Cities
- Studio Leonardo
- Nic Laporte
- StreetCraft
- Mr. Beast
- RM Transit

- Culdesac website
- Culdesac on YouTube
- My interesting ride to Culdesac from the airport
- A mini-tour of Culdesac w/ Alexys Still
- An interview w/ Culdesac CEO, Ryan Johnson
- My surprisingly awesome ride from Culdesac back to the airport 

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024

In this episode, I reconnect with Todd Litman, Founder and Executive Director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI) for a discussion about his research into the elements we must take into consideration as we strive to transform our communities into our desired paradises.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Victoria Transport Policy Institute
- Todd on LinkedIn
- Victoria bike tour with Todd
- Season One, Episode 33 with Todd

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024

Rethink35 is suing TxDOT: Why this action has global implications. In this special, bonus episode, I connect with Kelsey Huse and Gregory Bertrand, volunteers with Rethink35, for an urgent conversation about the two legal actions that this community group has taken to try and stop this project. Please sign on to the Civil Rights Complaint and make a donation here: https://rethink35.org/

Making our highways wider and wider simply won't work. This is a proven fact, and yet state highway departments continue to build in a desperate attempt to remain relevant. Rethink35 is a community-run effort to put a stop to the devastating, racist expansion of Interstate 35 through the heart of downtown Austin, TX.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Sign the petition and make a donation
- Strong Towns episode with Chuck Marohn, Adam Greenfield, and attorney Bobby Levinski
- Bottom-up Revolution Podcast Episode
- My bike ride interview with Kelsey and Adam
- Kelsey and Jenna Hanes on using social for good
- Reconnect Austin
- Save Our Springs
- Heal the Scar Press Conference video
- Rethink35 videos on YouTube

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024

In this episode, I connect with Lucy Maloney, an advocate and frequent spokesperson in the battle for safer streets and safe cycling routes in Vancouver, BC. We cover the ongoing disturbing trend of victim blaming instead of addressing the core street design issues, the recent move to remove bike lanes in Stanley Park, the push to create and maintain safer school streets, and much much more.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Love the Lane website
- HUB Cycling Org website
- Vancouver Vision Zero website
- Lucy on Twitter/X
- The Richmond RCMP (police) Victim Blaming Interview
- Comox School Street article
- Halloween interview

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024

In this episode, I connect with Robert "Bob" Searns, the author of Beyond Greenways: The Next Step for City Trails and Walking Routes, a recent book published by Island Press. We discuss the concept of formal Grand Loops around entire cities and shorter Town Walks that can be cobbled together quite easily.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Beyond Greenways in the Active Towns Bookshop, via Island Press or on Amazon
- Boulder 360 Walk Loop Video
- Darcy Kitching's Boulder Urban Walks Book
- American Trails website
- Bob Searns on LinkedIn

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024

In this episode, I welcome back Professor Peter Norton of the University of Virginia for a continuation of our discussion about the long legacy of parents fighting for safer streets in the United States of America and how Motordom ultimately prevailed in most cases where they were challenged. We also draw comparisons between the street safety protests of The Netherlands in the 1970s, which profoundly changed the trajectory of the country and helped to pave the way towards a country that broadly has mobility choice between walking, biking, transit, and driving a motor vehicle.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- My first podcast episode with Peter
- My second episode with Peter
- Professor Peter Norton's website
- Peter Norton on X/Twitter
- Peter on BlueSky
- Fighting Traffic by Peter D. Norton
- Autonorama by Peter D. Norton
- Families for Safe Streets website
- Dark PR episode with Grant Ennis
- Active Towns Bookshop for Books Profiled on the Pod

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024

In this episode, I connect with Joshua Funches for a conversation about the National Youth Bike Council and the Youth Bike Summit happening in June in Lehigh Valley, PA. We talk about their efforts to engage more youths and young adults in the bicycle movement, the empowering nature of kids being able to ride bikes to meet their daily transportation needs, and how the recent Bike Bus movement has accelerated the urgency to make our cities safer for kids to ride everywhere.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- National Youth Bike Council
- Youth Bike Summit
- Austin Yellow Bike Project
- Ghisallo Cycling Initiative
- Part One of my Ride with Joshua
- Part Two of my Ride with Joshua

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024

In this episode, I connect with Deema Aburizik, the force of nature behind the new Street Design Team, a firm that is taking inspiration from the Dutch Cycling Embassy, the European Cyclists' Federation, and other institutions to build the knowledge capacity needed to expand the active mobility networks on the ground in Dubai, the UAE and across the Middle East.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- The Street Design Team
- Dutch Cycling Embassy
- European Cyclists' Federation

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024

In this episode, I reconnect with Joe Minicozzi, founder of Urban3, to discuss why our traditional development patterns were and are more productive financially and how that relates to Strong Towns and creating more Active Towns that promote a culture of activity.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Urban3 website
- Strong Towns website
- Ep 90 w/ Chuck Marohn, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer
- Conversation with an Engineer video
- Congress for the New Urbanism website
- My Episode with Steffen Berr
- Steffen’s LinkedIn Post
- Strong Towns National Gathering
- Amsterdam's new underwater bike parking by De Filmende Fietser

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024

Yay! Megan Ramey is featured in this final podcast episode of the year and the conclusion of Season 6. We had a fabulous conversation about her efforts to help create a positive culture of active mobility in Hood River, Oregon, starting naturally with the kids.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- PSA for Pilot
- Deep Donut Thoughts video
- My first episode with Megan
- My episode with Cara Seiderman
- Cambridge Ordinance
- My Cambridge video
- Doug McKenzie-Mohr
- My episode w/ Emily Stutts
- My episode w/ Sam Balto

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

In this bonus episode, which was adapted from our video conversation, Professor Billy Fields and Manuel "Manu" Calvo discuss the amazing transformation of Seville's cycle network and the emerging culture of utilitarian bike riding, especially with families, women, children, and the elderly.

The network, which was patterned after those in the cycling cities of Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Utrecht, was designed between 2003 and 2005, and then work accelerated between 2006 and 2008 to establish a core network of protected bike lane facilities. They chose a Dutch-style two-way cycle path design on one side of the street for the cycle network's initial phase with hopes to expand to the other side of the street in the future.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Episode 39 w/ Manu
- Episode 173 w/ Manu
- Episode 149 w/ Billy Fields
- i-STEP Project

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

In this episode, I reconnect with traffic engineer activist and propagandartist extraordinaire, Mr. Andy Boenau.

We discuss his recent documentary Healthy Havoc, the deadly challenge and legacy of status quo transportation engineering and planning in North America, and his new projects on the horizon.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Andy's website
- Strong Towns
- Dark PR interview with Grant Ennis

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

In this episode, I catch up with bike map creator extraordinaire and Jenkintown Borough council member-elect, Steve Spindler for an in-depth discussion about maps, map art, and long-distance bike touring and bike camping with his teenage daughter.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Steve's website
- Apogee Adventures website
- CISV website
- Duzer's Channel
- Duzer's Love Cycles Niagara episode
- Warm Showers website
- Adventure Cycling
- Holiday Livestream w/ Duzer 2023

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

Roger Rudick and Luke Bornheimer join me for a conversation about the ongoing sagas and successes playing out on the streets of San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area. We highlight several massive wins, including Car Free JFK, several amazing protected bike lanes, and the bike bus boom, but we also discuss the challenges of an ill-conceived center running, bi-directional cycle track on Valencia.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Streetsblog SF
- Bike Bus World
- Car Free JFK / Promenade
- Recent X Post by Luke regarding Valencia center running bike lane

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

In this episode, I connect with Gary Oddi, President and co-founder of the Bike Temecula Valley  Coalition in Temecula, California, for a discussion about their efforts to create an active mobility network for all ages and abilities in the area.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Bike Temecula Valley Coalition website

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

In this episode, I connect with Dr. Matt Schaeffer, MD, general surgery resident at Wright State University Premiere Health in Dayton, OH, for a discussion about the nuance of bike lane design, encouraging more people to ride for optimal health and crash prevention all from a medical perspective.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Miami Valley Trails
- My interview w/ Dr. Dick Jackson

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

In this episode, I connect with Steffen Berr, Traffic Advisor for the City of Haarlem in The Netherlands, for a conversation about the steps the city is taking to reduce the number of motor vehicles in the historic city center and we also discuss some of the specific traffic calming street design strategies the Dutch employ that the typical transportation professionals in the United States don't even consider.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Steffen’s YouTube channel
- Steffen's recent There's More to Dutch roads than you think video
- Steffen's TikTok
- The Roundabout video
- Not Just Bikes Million Subs Celebration Video
- My Haarlem Reaction Video w/ Jordan Clark
- BicycleDutch Channel
- My interview w/ Avital Barnea
- My interview w/ Mr. Barricade

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

In this episode, I connect with Jenna Hanes and Kelsey Huse, two of Austin's amazing change agents and activists who are making a profound difference through the TikTok videos they are producing and sharing out on X (formerly Twitter). From freeway fighting to advocating for protected bike lanes and safe crosswalks to making fun of silly, ineffective shade structures to defeating bad election measures, the videos these two produce are wickedly awesome.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Rethink 35
- Kelsey's TikTok
- Jenna's TikTok

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

In this episode, I reconnect with Mike Packard, a traffic engineer with the firm SSFM, based in Honolulu, Hawai'i, for a conversation about some encouraging signs of improvement in the construction of safe and inviting bicycle and pedestrian facilities across the Hawaiian Islands. Although none of the islands have a working high-comfort active mobility network yet, each has a handful of facilities to build upon. We also compare and contrast the facilities he recently experienced in Osaka, Japan.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- SSFM website
- City and County of Honolulu's Complete Streets page (Complete Streets Home (honolulu.gov))
- County of Hawaii's Transportation Planning page (Transportation Planning Initiatives | Hawaii County, HI Planning)

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

In this episode, I reconnect with Allen Cowgill, a Denver-based safer streets advocate extraordinaire who was inspired to start a new bike bus for his kid's elementary school, Brown International Academy. We chat about the good work being done to make Denver's streets safer and more inviting for all ages and abilities and the steps he and his volunteers took to launch the Brown Bike Bus.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Brown Bike Bus
- Denver Bicycle Lobby
- Denver Streets Partnership
- Downtown Denver Partnership
- Bike Streets/VAMOS
- Pedestrian Dignity
- Bike Bus Interview with Sam Balto
- Bike Train Interview w/ Megan Ramey
- I-25 Impacts article
- RMI Travel Calculator

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023