

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 14, 2020 • 1h 1min
Rolling Down the Road w/ Commissioner Ellis & Fernando Martinez
In this episode, I connect with Rodney Ellis, Commissioner, Harris County, Precinct 1, and the Precinct 1 Bike Program Director, Fernando Martinez for an in-depth conversation about how the city of Houston, TX is progressing towards a more bicycle-friendly environment in large part because of the leadership, dedication, and support of Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Bike Program Director Fernando Martinez.When thinking of Houston, TX, the phrase bicycle-friendly environment rarely comes to mind, but if these two distinguished leaders have their way, that's exactly what the future will hold.Additional Helpful Links:Houston Bike PlanBike HoustonHarris County Investment in B-Cycle SystemBayou Greenways InvestmentHouston Parks & Rec - Bayou GreenwaysHouston Parks BoardHouston B-CycleBike TexasLeague of American Bicyclists and the Bicycle Friendly America InitiativeMS 150 Ride Gil Penalosa 8 - 80 CitiesFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Destination Optimistic, Confidence Allure, and Taking Care of Business by Simon Jomphe Lepine via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Aug 11, 2020 • 54min
A Bike Friendly Episode w/ Bill Nesper
In this episode, I connect with the Bike League's Executive Director, Bill Nesper, to learn what's new in the quest to create a more bicycle-friendly nation. Since 1880 the League of American Bicyclists has been advocating for better, safer places to ride. THE LEAGUE represents bicyclists in the movement to create safer roads, stronger communities, and a Bicycle Friendly America. Through education, advocacy and promotion, we work to celebrate and preserve the freedom cycling brings to our members everywhere. Bicycling brings people together.When more people ride bikes: Life is better for everyone; Communities are safer, stronger and better connected; Our nation is healthier, economically stronger, environmentally cleaner and more energy independent.In this conversation, John and Bill dive deep into the great work the League is involved with and we get to learn a bit about Bill's own journey along the way. Additional Helpful Links:Bicycle Friendly AmericaNational Bike SummitSafe Cycling Education ProgramHappy City Book by Charles MontgomeryEco CounterIt Could Be MeVision Zero NetworkThinkBike WorkshopDutch Cycling EmbassyFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Joyful Ride, Destination Happiness, and Lifestyle by Simon Jomphe Lepine via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Aug 1, 2020 • 55min
Make a Difference w/ Charles Brown
In this episode, I reconnect with Charles Brown of Rutgers University for a dive deep into the inequities inherent in our transportation networks and how we can collectively make a difference in our communities.Systemic racism permeates through so many facets of our daily lives that we often are blinded to its very presence as well as its historical relevance in how our cities have been shaped. The transportation network is fraught with challenges of inequities at its very foundation. Our guest in this episode, Charles Brown, serves as a senior researcher with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) and adjunct professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, both at Rutgers University. He also serves as a 2020 Fellow within the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication in Partnership with The OpEd Project. And he has dedicated his career to speaking up for the voiceless. We cover a lot of ground in this discussion including the realities of our current times, the simple joys of riding a bike, and what we can all do to make a difference in our communities.Additional Links:Book: Color of LawWalking While BlackWalking Towards JusticeFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Searching for Hope by Neil Cross, Emotional Epic Trailer by Valentina Gribanova, Ballad Hip Hop Prime by Simon Jomphe Lepine, and Live Free Tropical Beat by CJ Harris via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jul 29, 2020 • 48min
All Aboard w/ Mike Christensen
In this episode, Mike Christensen of Salt Lake City, Utah tells us about his new venture the Utah Rail Passengers Association and describes how he's able to lead a car-light lifestyle in a car-centric western city. Once upon a time, traveling from one city to the next was primarily done by rail, if Mike Christensen, Founder and Executive Director of the Utah Rail Passengers Association, has his way, this might become an option in Utah yet again. Follow Mike on Twitter @MRC_SLCCNU28 A Virtual Gathering Fun Run/Ride VideoFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Technology and Motivation by Ihor Vitsinskyy and Way To Success by Mikael Manvelyan via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jul 23, 2020 • 52min
Local Innovations w/ Kyle Wagenschutz & Sara Studdard
In this episode, I catch up with the Director, Kyle, and Sara, Deputy Director, of the Local Innovations initiative to see how the cities they are working with have been progressing in general, as well as how they've been responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and black lives matters movement. The PeopleForBikes Foundation strives to get more people on bikes more often and through the Local Innovations Program, the organization inspires, empowers, and supports cities as they attempt to make big jumps in ridership levels. Additional Helpful Links:Bike Nerds PodcastNational Civil Rights MuseumRoshun Austin - The Works, Inc. - Memphis, TNExplore Bike Share, Memphis, TNBig Jump Video Montage 2018PeopleForBikes Big Jump Shortie 2019PeopleForBikes Study Tour w/ Austin Officials 2019 VideoFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Simplicity by Zac Nelson via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jul 21, 2020 • 1h 1min
Discussing Our Transport Future w/ Todd Litman
In this episode, I reconnect with Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI) for an in-depth discussion about the exciting connection between land use and transportation. Additional Helpful Links:Todd's Planetizen BlogCNU - Active Town Bike Tour Video of Victoria, BCDonald Shoup - The High Cost of Free ParkingCargo bikes: Bakfiets and Urban ArrowFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Make Your Own Success by James Grant and Rising Up by Neil Cross via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jul 15, 2020 • 1h 3min
Live Your Gold Medal Life w/ Susanne Menge
In this episode, I catch up with Susanne Menge, a dear friend from Boulder, CO, who helps people live their best lives. Susanne helps people discover their passions and learn how to achieve their goals and a sense of joy or as she likes to say "Live Your Gold Medal Life".From her website:I am a passionate lover of humans. I am naturally kind, compassionate and caring and bring that to all of my work. I am a lifelong learner who started with study of the physical body, evolved into the study of thought and emotions and then dove head first into studying energy. When I learned I was not my thoughts and followed that by learning about energy, I knew I had found my answer to all the 'stress management' I have been trying to sort out all of my life. I have been guiding clients on their way to unleashing their potential for over 20 years and as I grow, my work deepens and continues to evolve. I work with people ready to unlock their untapped capacity and live the life they really want!To learn more about Susanne and her services be sure to check out her website at: susannemenge.comAdditional Fun and Helpful Links: Weight Loss Simplified webinarSusanne's Facebook page, where she shares a lot of amazing contentFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Destination Optimistic by Simon Jomphe Lepine via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jul 13, 2020 • 23min
Exploring Every Street w/ Janelle Naess
In this episode, I connect with Janelle Naess of Laguna Beach, CA, one of our podcast listeners who just happens to have an inspiring story to tell about her 2020 New Year's resolution. Janelle had a wonderful idea for the new year, walk, and document every street in her hometown. She was already a passionate explorer of her beach city and had been profiling cool stuff to see in her blog LagunaBeachWalks.com and on her Instagram account, but she realized that she was kind of in a rut, walking many of the same streets over and over again. It was time to explore and then the novel coronavirus Covid19 struck. She shares how she handled the challenge and some of the surprises that emerged along the way.Additional Fun and Helpful Links: Her story in the local paperThe Promenade on Forest: Visit Laguna Beach ProfileThe Promenade on Forest: City PageFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Happy Walk by Simon Jomphe Lepine via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jul 9, 2020 • 56min
A Session w/ Transportation Psychologist Bryan Jones
In this episode, I connect with Bryan Jones, City Manager of Eastvale, CA. Eastvale, CA is the second-youngest city in the state of California and as you'll learn from this conversation with its City Manager, Bryan Jones it's also a city without a downtown, but that will hopefully change soon as they have identified 162 acres that they hope to develop soon.You'll also learn that Bryan is a passionate winemaker and has a fun alter ego as The Transportation PsychologistAdditional Helpful Links:The Dover Kohl Public Realm Blog & VideoLive Oak Vineyard https://www.facebook.com/LiveOakVineyard/Eastvale CrimeWatch and Reportinghttps://eastvalecrimewatchreporting.com/Move through Motivationhttps://youtu.be/TeHYVLsJKwshttps://www.facebook.com/movethroughmotivation/Four Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Friday Night Downtown by Neil Cross and Down at the Club by Patrick Smith via Storyblocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jul 4, 2020 • 1h 12min
Induced Demand Innovations w/ Curtis Rogers
In this episode, I connect with Curtis Rogers, Co-Founder & COO of Parkade, for a discussion about innovative ways that communities can flip the concept of induced demand on its head to encourage active mobility and more vibrant business districts.Curtis also shares a bit about his background in shared mobility and how his epiphany about the high cost of free parking came about while working at Lyft in San Francisco. He also takes us through how this new awareness led to an innovative solution to excess motor vehicle parking that actually has the potential of encouraging people to adopt active mobility options.We also talk about why he moved from California to Austin, TX, his participation on the Austin Bicycle Advisory Council, and the pop-up Covid19 Healthy Streets installation in his neighborhood on the east side of town.Helpful Links: Austin’s Healthy Streets InitiativeBook: The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup, Vox article Parkade: Helping End Empty Parking LotsInduced Demand City of Austin Bicycle Advisory CouncilNewly Installed Congress Ave Pop-up Bike Lane video and article NACTO Covid19 Rapid Response Tool Kit Protected Bike Lanes Make Walking Safer TooStrong Towns PodcastWar on CarsPlaza Saltillo EndeavorRE siteDom & Maggie Active Towns Podcast Episode - Avoiding Drinking & DrivingFour Easy Steps to Support My Efforts:1. Become an Active Towns Ambassador by "Buying Me a Coffee" or by pledging as little as $1 per month on Patreon2. If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a "thumbs up," leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend.3. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform and the Active Towns YouTube Channel4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my storeCredits:All video and audio production by John SimmermanMusic:Clear Sky and Confident Beginning by Jeppe Sorensen via AudioBlocks.comResources used during the production of this episode:- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm- Adobe Creative Cloud SuiteFor more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:- Website- Twitter- Newsletter- Podcast landing pages- Facebook- InstagramBackground:Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2020Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★


