

Active Towns
John Simmerman
Conversations about Creating a Culture of Activity: Profiling the people, places, programs, and policies that help to promote a culture of activity within our communities.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 5, 2022 • 1h 2min
Inspired by Travel Abroad w/ Robert Spillar (video available)
In this episode, I reconnect with Robert "Rob" Spillar, Former DOT Director for Austin, TX, and current Senior Vice President, National Director of Smart Cities for STV. We discuss his nearly 14-year career launching and leading the transportation department and how two significant study trips abroad help to shape the trajectory of mobility in the Texas capital, the establishment of a comprehensive bicycle network master plan nearly a decade ago, and the quickly emerging Dutch-inspired cycle network that is currently being constructed.Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effectIn Rob's new role as the Senior Vice President and National Director of Smart Cities, he will establish and lead STV's new multidisciplinary practice.Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):- STV's website- My Austin Dutch-inspired playlist- Austin bike network milestone - Austin's Active Transportation & Street Design Division websiteFour 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, 2022Advocates 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 ★

Aug 3, 2022 • 53min
Design Translation w/ Jace Davis (video available)
In this episode, I connect with Jace Davis with Bicycle Colorado and the Denver Streets Partnership for a conversation about his recent month-long vacation to Europe and how he plans to translate the people-oriented public space designs he experienced into his work in Denver.Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effectJace is excited about translating what is possible into actual aspirational transformations that are inherently achievable in Denver and other car-dependent cities globally. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):- Bicycle Colorado website- The Denver Streets Partnership website- My recent Bicycle Colorado episode- My interview with Jill Locantore- My recent episode with Jason Slaughter with Not Just Bikes- My first episode with Jason Slaughter with Not Just Bikes- The Happy City by Charles Montgomery- Walkable City by Jeff Speck- Curbing Traffic by Melissa & Chris Bruntlett- Cities for People by Jan GehlFour 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, 2022Advocates 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 ★

Jul 29, 2022 • 1h 13min
Barriers to Riding with Kids w/ Dawn Rahman (video available)
In this episode, I connect with Dawn Rahman, a riding mom and doctoral researcher at the University of Westminster in the U.K., studying the barriers that mothers face when attempting to ride a bike with their children.Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effectDawn Rahman is a mom who wants more moms to ride with their kids, so she's doing a doctoral research study examining what factors make doing so more difficult, uncomfortable, or inconvenient. Some of the things she learned and heard from her study participants were not surprising, concerns for safety, time pressures, and literal barriers in the pathways, yet others were shocking, at least to me, continued verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and shaming from other moms. Yet, these moms find a way to ride their children because it's the right thing to do, and it brings the family joy. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):- Dawn on TwitterFour 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, 2022Advocates 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 ★

Jul 27, 2022 • 1h 3min
For The Kids w/ Lanrick Bennett, Jr (video available)
In this episode, I connect with the Bicycle Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Lanrick Bennett, Jr., who says he's doing this for kids, because they deserve to have a safe and inviting cycle network so that they may experience mobility freedom.Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effectLanrick wants his children, and everyone for that matter, to be able to ride a bike safely to meaningful destinations across the city to meet their daily needs and so he stepped forward to serve as Toronto's very first Bicycle Mayor. The role is part of a global community engagement initiative run by the BYCS organization in based in Amsterdam. Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):- BYCS website- My interview w/ Maud de Vries the co-founder of BYCS- Follow Lanrick as the Toronto Bicycle Mayor on Twitter 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: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, 2022Advocates 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 ★

Jul 23, 2022 • 1h 22min
Strong Active Towns Livestream w/ Charles Marohn (video available)
In this episode, I reconnect with my good friend, Charles "Chuck" Marohn, founder of the Strong Towns organization and worldwide movement, for a discussion about the inherent connections between Strong Towns and Active Towns, the need for reform in the traffic engineering and city planning fields, and he provides the latest update on his battle with the state licensing board.Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effectStrong Towns and Active Towns together again! I was honored to welcome Charles "Chuck" Marohn, founder and president of the Strong Towns organization, back on the Podcast, this time in a Live-Streaming broadcast event.Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):- For more information on Strong Towns, visit their website- My interview with Chuck in 2021- Chuck's Confessions book- Chuck's first book - Strong Towns- Here's a video Excerpt of the 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: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, 2022Advocates 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.Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. Any donations collected are used specifically to support the organization's mission.To make a donation to Advocates for Healthy Communities go here
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jul 20, 2022 • 1h 8min
Empathic Analytics w/ Mike Sewell (video available)
In this episode, I reconnect with Mike Sewell, with Gresham Smith in Louisville, KY, for a conversation about a new innovative empathic analytics system he is working on to evaluate just how comfortable public spaces and All Age & Abilities facilities actually are. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effectHe also reflects upon some of the delightful people-places he and his family visited while on vacation, including Mackinac Island, MI, The Netherlands, and Paris.Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):- Gresham Smith website- Mike's testimony to congressFour 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, 2022Advocates 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 ★

Jul 15, 2022 • 1h 8min
City Thread w/ Kyle, Sara and Zoe (video available)
In this episode, I reconnect with Kyle Wagenschutz, Sara Studdard, and Zoe Kircos, who have recently launched the non-profit organization City Thread: Stitching together the fabric of our communities. Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect City Thread is a firm dedicated to helping communities achieve big things by collaborating with diverse teams of elected officials, city staff, community leaders, funders, and residents to identify problems, brainstorm solutions, and develop a shared vision to accelerate mobility and place-based projects.They draw from recent successes in cycle network campaigns that they helped coordinate in Austin, Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Providence. In these cities, they employed community engagement strategies, polling science, and customized messaging campaigns to help reduce resistance and bolster support for the buildout of these cycle networks.For more information on the results, see my interview with Movetia Salter; Kyle and Sara actually have little cameos in that episode: Ep 139 The healing power of cycling with friendsHelpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):- City Thread website- Ep 34 Season 1 - My earlier conversation w/ Sara and Kyle- My Shoal Creek Blvd 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: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, 2022Advocates 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 ★

Jul 13, 2022 • 1h 13min
Good Trouble w/ Cathy Tuttle (video available)
In this episode, I get into some "good trouble" with Cathy Tuttle a Portland, OR-based advocate and thought leader in the movement to create more people-oriented, sustainable places. We discuss her diverse background, her previous work in Seattle, the recent Car Master Plan she created for Portland, and the need for cities, states and nations to address the climate emergency with a sense of urgency.Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effectCities frequently have bicycle network plans, pedestrian plans, and even vision zero road safety plans, yet most have absolutely no actual plan for cars; they are just kind of allowed everywhere. Well, Cathy Tuttle, who is always in support of some good trouble rolled up her sleeves to create a Car Master Plan for Portland, OR and you will be shocked to learn what she discovered. We also discuss the delightful car-free city of Pontevedra, Spain, and the political will needed to create such places.Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):- Bike Loud PDX - Pedalpalooza- PSU Seminar: Why Your City Needs a Car Master Plan- My episode with Dr. Dick Jackson- My episode with Dale BracewellFour 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, 2022Advocates 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 ★

Jul 8, 2022 • 53min
Motivation to Move w/ Movetia Salter (video available)
In this episode, I connect with Movetia Salter, a resident of the Mueller community in Austin, TX for a conversation about her transformative cycling story rooted in a cancer diagnosis, a new city across the country, and her rediscovery of the joy of riding a bike, especially with others.Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effectAustin's Movetia Salter caught my attention when she was recently featured in a PeopleForBikes video highlighting the progress the city has made in building out its high-comfort bike network. I was delighted when she agreed to chat with me on the Podcast and I suspect you will be as moved and inspired by her story as I was.Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):- People For Bikes video- City Thread (Sara & Kyle)- Major Taylor Austin Cycling- Austin Black History Ride - Get There ATX - Austin’s Yellow Bike Project - Ghisallo Cycling Initiative - Priority Bikes (my affiliate link)- Ep 72 with Briana Cohen - Ghisallo Cycling Initiative - My playlist of Austin’s Dutch-inspired Cycle Network 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: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, 2022Advocates 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 ★

Jul 6, 2022 • 1h 3min
Coach Balto's Bike Bus w/ Sam Balto (video available)
Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effectA few months ago I started noticing these amazing Tweets with videos and photos of swarms of kids riding their bikes in Portland, OR. Sam Balto aka @coachbalto on Twitter was the man behind these Tweets and the massive success that is the Bike Bus he coordinated for his school in an attempt to provide a safer, healthier way for his students to get to school. I hope you enjoy this ride with Coach Balto.Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):- Follow Sam on Twitter- Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by Dr. John Ratey- Mark Fenton- Jonathan Fertig on Twitter- Mike Lydon’s episodes Ep 12: Tactical Urbanism in a Pandemic Era Ep 97: A Pipeline of Pilots to Permanence - Book by Mike Lydon & Anthony Garcia: Tactical Urbanism: Short-term Action for Long-term Change- Ep 107 Megan Ramey Bike train conductor mom shows the way - Ep 123 Will Norman London's Walking & Cycling Commissioner - Streetfilms London School Streets video - “School Streets” Portland versus Paris bikeportland.org article Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon(As a thank you will have early and commercial-free access as well as bonus content and special discounts in the Active Towns Store)2. If you enjoyed this episode please give it a "thumbs up", leave a comment, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred platform and on the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store(note: See no. 1 for access to special discounts in the store)Credits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:- Intro and Outro mixed by John SimmermanResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteStudio Equipment:- Main MIcrophone Sennheiser Pro Audio MKH416-P48U3- Rode RODECaster Pro Podcast Production Studio- Additional Microphone - Shure MV7- Camera - Sony ZV-E10 (currently sold out)- Lens - Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens- Elgato Cam Link 4k- Elgato Streamdeck XL*- Elgato Streamdeck (*you may not need the XL)Editing Computer System:- Apple MacBook Pro 16" 2021 M1 Pro- LG 34WP88C-B 34-inch Curved 21:9 UltraWide QHD (3440x1440) IPS Display with Ergo StandAll video, audio, and music production by me, John SimmermanFor 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 find this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2022Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. Any donations collected are used specifically to support the organization's mission.To make a donation to Advocates for Healthy Communities go here
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★


