Active Towns All Ages, Abilities, and Identities w/ Cara Seiderman
In this episode, I reconnect with Cara Seiderman, Transportation Program Manager with the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to get an update on the newly revised bike plan and discuss some of the exciting developments currently underway to create safe and inviting active mobility environments for all ages, abilities, and identities.
Active Towns Landing Page for this Episode to access photos and videos
In June 2021, the City of Cambridge published Cambridge Bicycle Plan 2020, an update to the 2015 Cambridge Bicycle Plan: Toward a Bikeable Future. The Bicycle Plan lays out a vision for where they as a City want to be, with the guiding principle to enable people of all ages, abilities, and identities to bike safely and comfortably throughout Cambridge. It provides the framework for developing a network of bicycle-friendly streets and supporting programs and policies that will help meet this goal.
We also discuss some of the history and context behind the efforts to make walking and biking easier, safer, and more comfortable in the city. Cara also provides an update on the newly rewritten bike plan and she highlights some of the new infrastructure and programming being initiated.
Ultimately Cambridge is a fabulous example for other cities to look towards for inspiration and learnings. They have some amazing high comfort infrastructure on the ground with more coming and many impressive programming efforts to make walking, biking, and taking transit more enjoyable for everyday trips.
Additional Helpful Links:
Jan Gehl founder of the firm Gehl People
Preston Tyree co-host of the Growing Older Podcast
Active Towns Video from 2019 visit
Mama Agata video - Amsterdam program to help migrant women learn to cycle
Winkelerf - A Shared Commercial Street
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Credits:
All video and audio production by John Simmerman
Music:
Various mixes also by John Simmerman
Resources used during the production of this episode:
- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm
For more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:
- Website
- Podcast landing pages
Background:
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, 2021
Advocates 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.
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