Active Towns

In this episode, I connect with Ben Holland, Senior Associate at RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute), for a conversation about why we need fewer motor vehicles, not just electric vehicles, and the inherent fragility of car-centric cities. Active Towns Landing Page for this Episode (for additional photos and content)In order to combat climate change, we know that we must electrify the motor vehicle fleet (and other fossil fuel burning engines for that matter) as soon as possible, but what we also need is far fewer motor vehicles on our roads (not to mention far fewer lane miles), especially in our cities. We also discuss the critical role that walkable urbanism, better land-use patterns, and active mobility networks appropriate for "All Ages & Abilities" play in our quest for sustainable, successful, equitable, and livable communities.Additional Helpful Links:Electric Cars Are Great, But Even Better: No Cars an article with Beth Osborne, Director of Transportation for AmericaTransportation for America: Driving Down Emissions RMI's Coming Back Stronger ReportRMI: Building Urbanism into Climate Policy RMI: We Need New HousingRMI: The Pandemic and Fragility of Auto-Centric CitiesRMI: Bringing Back Clean Air Bloomberg Newsletter: Need To Think Outside the Electric Car Ben's Guest Opinion regarding opening up West Pearl Street to DinersCNU - Congress for the New UrbanismCNU - Central Texas ChapterStrong TownsNRDC - (Natural Resources Defense Council)World Resource Institute (WRI)IPCC: Mitigation pathways compatible with 1.5°C in the context of sustainable developmentBetter BoulderBedrooms for PeopleSouthwest Energy Efficiency ProjectUC Davis VMT Induced Demand Calculator  RMI Colorado Induced Demand CalculatorUC Davis National Zero Carbon PlanSmart Growth America Martha Roskowski - Further Strategies Constantine Samaras - Low Carbon Transportation researcherTalking Headways/Overhead Wire Podcast Episode: Jeff Wood and BenChuck Marohn and James Howard Kunstler - Strong Towns Podcast: "Why can't we just have corner stores again..." @41:50Active Towns Podcast Episode w/ Jason Slaughter of Not Just BikesMelissa & Chris Bruntlett's Active Towns Podcast episode and their new book Curbing TrafficIndianapolis Cultural TrailFour 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.

In this episode, I connect with Jason Slaughter the creator of the incredibly popular Not Just Bikes YouTube Channel. He shares what led him to become interested in urbanism and active mobility, how he and his family came to live in Amsterdam, and why he decided to launch the channel. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be? As you'll learn from this conversation, that's precisely the question Jason Slaughter and his wife pondered when they became disillusioned with the overly car-centric design of the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area. With the stakes high, they did their research, relied upon their vast travel experience, and did several "trial stays" in the finalist cities.Once the decision had been made, and Amsterdam was their new home, they were continually asked by friends, family, and even new acquaintances - Why move from Canada to The Netherlands? In an attempt to answer these questions, Jason decided to do a little "show and tell" in the form of short videos, and thus Not Just Bikes was born first on the Twitter platform, and then he migrated the effort to its natural home on YouTube, where it has just exploded in popularity.Additional Helpful Links:Active Towns Landing Page for this Episode - direct access to the videos we discussedA video version of this Episode on the Active Towns YouTube ChannelNot Just Bikes YouTube Channel and the NJB Live ChannelNot Just Bikes Patreon - support Jason and the Channel!Not Just Bikes Videos MentionedWhat Makes a Great City – the video that started it allNEW! The video about Houston, telling the story that prompted Jason to care about urban planningWhy Dutch Bikes Are BetterWe Have No Garbage Day in AmsterdamWhy Cars Rarely Crash into Building in The NetherlandsWhy Grocery Shopping is Better in AmsterdamHow America Bankrupted its Cities – Strong Towns conceptsThe STROADS video – Strong Towns conceptsCities Aren’t Loud Cars Are Loud – a recent video in honor of Melissa & Chris Bruntlett‘s new book Curbing TrafficJason is not a cyclist and neither are most of the Dutch people who ride every dayJason mentioned a YouTuber who produces videos about driving in The Netherlands – his name is Kerleem Shaw and here’s his channelRyan Van Duzer's Grocery Shopping VideoBicycleDutch - Mark Wagenbuur and Mark's blog post & video on the 10-year Improvements in UtrechtStreetFilms - Clarence Eckerson, Jr.Strong Towns - The Strong Towns Interview of JasonStrong Towns Bottom-Up Revolution Podcast Interview of JohnPlain Bicycle Episode w/ Erin Riediger on the Active Towns PodcastCNU - Congress for the New UrbanismBooks Mentions:High and Mighty: The Dangerous Rise of the SUV by Keith BradsherTraffic - Tom VanderbiltMiracle Pill by Peter WalkerConcepts Mentioned:Downs-Thomson ParadoxFour 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 happe...

In this episode, we head down under, for a chat with Professor Paul Tranter, Honorary Associate Professor in Geography in the School of Science at the University of New South Wales Canberra in Australia, about why we all need to just slow down a bit.Paul researches children’s well-being and the dominance of speed and mobility in urban planning and society. His work has demonstrated that child-friendly modes of walking, cycling, and public transit are also the modes that paradoxically reduce time pressure for urban residents. In this conversation, we dive into the details of his recent book Slow Cities: Conquering our Speed Addiction for Health and Sustainability that he co-authored with Rodney Tolley.Additional Helpful Links:Slow Cities BookSlow Cities ManifestoBuild slower cities or keep careening towards disaster – opinionSlaves to speed, we’d all benefit from ‘slow cities’ – article in The ConversationTime to hit the brakes on the “Hurry Virus”Introduction: changing cultures of speed – journal articleSpeed Kills: The Complex Links Between Transport, Lack of Time and Urban Health – journal articleActive Travel: A Cure for the Hurry Virus – journal articleChildren’s Play in their Local Neighborhoods: Rediscovering the Value of Residential StreetsBusted: 5 myths about 30km/h speed limits in Australia30Please.org – childrenPontevedra, Spain, wins the first EU urban road safety award – European Transport Safety CouncilPontevedra, Spain Increases Downtown Livability by Reducing Vehicle Access – article in Smart Cities DiveReclaiming the streets: the increasing trend of pedestrianisation around the worldMiguel Anxo Fernández Lores, Mayor of Pontevedra City, SpainWhy the need for speed? Transport spending priorities leave city residents worse off – article in The ConversationRaising an Unhurried ChildIn Praise of Slowness – bookIn Praise of Slowness – TED Talk************ Active Towns Podcast episode featuring Peter NortonActive Towns Podcast episode featuring David NuttallShared Streets and Woonerfs – Hans Monderman and Ben Hamilton-BaillieWalkscoreFour 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 experi...

In this episode, I connect with documentary filmmaker Liz Canning for a candid conversation about MOTHERLOAD, a movie and a movement. MOTHERLOAD captures a new mother’s quest to understand the increasing isolation and disconnection of modern life, its planetary impact, and how cargo bikes could be an antidote.Filmmaker Liz Canning cycled everywhere until she had twins in 2008. Motherhood was challenging, but to Liz hauling babies via car felt stifling. She Googled “family bike” and uncovered a global movement of people replacing cars with cargo bikes: long-frame bicycles designed for carrying heavy loads. Liz set out to learn more, and MOTHERLOAD was born.Additional Helpful Links:Active Towns Landing Page for this episode - for more photos and videosThe MOTHERLOAD website:  http://motherloadmovie.comHere is where you can rent the film:  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/motherloadThe Motherload Films site:  https://www.motherload-films.com - find out more about hiring Liz!The trailer on Vimeo: http://motherloadmovie.com/welcomeMOTHERLOAD Facebook GroupMOTHERLOAD on TwitterEpisode 1 of Global Mosaic: "Could Empowering Girls Transform the World?" Director's CutBroadcast Edit***********What a Bakfiets looks likeXtracycleJared DiamondDaniel LiebermanVelo-City ConferenceKidical Mass - Shane MacRhodes articleCritical Mass - Tim White doc "Return of the Scorcher"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, 2021Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.Music: Various Logic Pro X mixes by John Simmerman ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I catch up with Melissa and Chris Bruntlett "on the eve" of the release of their much anticipated second book, Curbing Traffic - The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives. It's a long one, as they were gracious enough to provide a brief overview of each of the ten main chapters in the book. Enjoy!Curbing Traffic - The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives published by Island Press is due to be released on June 29, 2021. We highly recommend everyone get a copy and Melissa and Chris have passed along the following information: The book is available for pre-order from Island Press (use promo code "BRUNTLETT" for 20% off) in North America, Marston Books (use promo code "ISCT" for 30% off) in the EU, and independent booksellers worldwide.Melissa and Chris moved their family of four from Vancouver, BC to the city of Delft in The Netherlands a couple of years ago. They made this huge move, which presented its share of predictable challenges because they were looking for a higher quality of life, especially for their teenage children. This book was an effort to capture just how profound and impactful this new way of living was and is before its specialness wears off and drifts predictably into "just the way things are".Additional Helpful Links:The Happy City by Charles MontgomeryBuilding the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint For Urban Vitality Melissa and Chris Bruntlett’s first bookGoing Dutch – An Interview with Chris in 2020 on the Active Towns PodcastKaid Benfield – Human HabitatShared Streets and Woonerfs – Hans Monderman and Ben Hamilton-BaillieFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Various mixes also by John SimmermanResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2021Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this extended episode, I have a detailed conversation with Bruce Appleyard, Associate Professor of City Planning & Public Administration, at San Diego State University and the author of  Livable Streets 2.0 published by Elsevier, a fabulous tribute to his late father, Donald Appleyard, and his classic urbanism text Livable Streets. A livable street is like a good friend that gives you energy. In contrast, an unlivable street drains you.We discuss in detail many aspects of the book and his recent contribution to Designing for Active Travel he made to the International Encyclopedia of Transportation (TRNS).Livable Streets 2.0 is a complete manual on walking, bicycling, and traffic calming. So if you want to learn more about these things, we highly encourage you to get the book.Additional Helpful Links:Landing Page for this Episode on Active Towns websiteMike Lydon and Tactical UrbanismShared Streets and Woonerfs - Hans Monderman and Ben Hamilton-BaillieCharter for Humane and Equitable StreetsTransit and Bikes - Roland Kager's Active Towns Podcast EpisodeThe MUTCD - NACTO's positionRight of Way book and Angie Schmitt's Active Towns Podcast EpisodeContinuous, Raised Sidewalks and Sidepaths and a Not Just Bikes video on the subjectAdvisory Bike Lane Streets Fietsstraat Active Towns Podcast Episode PeopleForBikes Jan Gehl - Building at Human Scale books Cities for People and Life Between Buildings Interested but Concerned - Geller and 2011 follow up by Dr. Jennifer Dill  Berkeley Barriers Traffic Calming History Chuck Marohn - Strong TownsSTROAD:- Definition- Not Just Bikes STROAD video Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Various mixes also by John SimmermanResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2021Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Jon Larsen, Salt Lake City, Utah's Transportation Division Director, for a conversation about how he and his team are making progress in their efforts to create safer, more inviting street spaces for "All Ages & Abilities" across all mobility modes.Salt Lake City's historic grid features massively wide streets and incredibly long blocks, but its origin isn't rooted in car-centric design, rather it was a practical solution to freight logistics - the ability to do a u-turn with a team of oxen or horses driving a cart or carriage. Since 2017 Jon Larsen and his team have been striving to reimagine what this space can be and who it serves with the systematic, incremental installation of safer, more inviting "All Ages & Abilities" active mobility infrastructure.Does Salt Lake City, Utah, come to mind when you think of cities leading the way in innovative cycle infrastructure? Probably not. But, they were one of the early protected cycling infrastructure adopters in North America, with one of the first official "Dutch-style" protected intersections. Unfortunately, the car-centric status quo pushed back, and things slowed down significantly for a couple of years, but they are back on track now. Additional Helpful Links:Salt Lake City Projects Mentioned: - 300 West - video- 900 South/9-Line- 200 South- Neighborhood byways- Livable Streets Program- Streets Typology Design Guide- State Street Project - Life on StateCNUCNU Utah ChapterCNU21 - SLCChuck Marohn - Strong TownsSTROAD:- Definition- Not Just Bikes STROAD videoSeattle Streets Illustrated GuideUtah Transit AuthorityPeopleForBikes - Shed the Monster 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, 2021Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I catch up with Ross Chapin, an Architect who literally wrote the book on Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small-Scale Community in a Large-Scale World and we discuss how when one steps into a pocket neighborhood, it seems familiar and feels comfortable. Perhaps this is because humans have been creating intentional habitats such as these for tens of thousands of years. They are inherently sociable, cohesive, and livable communities. Additional Helpful Links:Active Towns landing page for this episode - for access to more photos and videosPocket Neighborhoods websiteActive Towns - Pocket Neighborhoods VideoRoss Chapin Architects websiteMissing Middle HousingCNU – Congress for the New UrbanismFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Various mixes also by John SimmermanResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2021Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Brandon Lust, also known as @AmericanFietser, on Twitter for a conversation about how a pickup truck-driving guy from rural Illinois became an advocate for Dutch cycling, safer streets, and electric-assist cargo bikes.In 2017, Brandon joined his wife Tatiana on a trip to The Netherlands. She had some work to do there and they figured why not combine the travel for a bit of vacation time. What Brandon couldn’t have known at the time, was that this trip would forever alter his life and spark a curiosity to learn more about functional cycling, and ignite a passion for the simple pleasures of getting stuff done while riding a bike. Thus the @AmericanFietser on Twitter was born.The Dutch, have a couple of different words that apply to cyclists. They use the word Fietser to refer to a person who rides for everyday purposes such as meeting one’s daily needs. While they use the term “wielrenner”, literally wheel runner, to describe a sport cyclist or racer.Enjoy this ride with Brandon!Additional Helpful Links:Active Towns Landing page for this episode - access more photos and videosAmerican Fietser blogBicycleDutch – Mark WagenbuurNot Just Bikes – Jason SlaughterWork Cycles – J.C. Lind Bike Co.Gazelle BikesDefining Opafiets and Omafiets (step-through frame) blog postTern Bicycles – Perennial Cycle, MinneapolisTatiana’s First E-Bike Ride – Twitter videoWhat is 4-HFFA – Future Farmers of AmericaPeopleForBikesMobycon and the Mobycon AcademyStrongTownsSTROADS video by Not Just Bikes for StrongTownsWoonerf definition (shared space)Walk/Bike/Places ConferenceFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Various mixes also by John SimmermanResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2021Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I connect with Billy Fields, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science at Texas State University, for a discussion that addresses the freedom that comes from mobility choice, the progress being made in San Marcos, and the annual study abroad program he leads to The Netherlands. We also talk about his newly released book, Adaptation Urbanism and Resilient Communities: Transforming Streets to Address Climate Change, published by Routledge.I encourage everyone to check out this new book Adaptation Urbanism and Resilient Communities: Transforming Streets to Address Climate Change. And courtesy of Dr. Fields you may use the coupon code ESBAC for 20% off.Additional Helpful Links:Rails to Trails ConservancySan Marcos, TXInternational Sustainable Transportation Engagement Program – Study AbroadDelft, NL: WoonerfCROW ManualSustainable SafetyVision Zero – SwedenAmsterdam Street TrampolinesLondon initiatives:Mini-HollandsHealthy StreetsLow Traffic Neighborhoods20 is Plenty CampaignOur New Orleans 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, 2021Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★