In this episode, you'll meet the duo behind the newest urbanism super-firm, Speck Dempsey, Jeff Speck, author of Walkable City, and Chris Dempsey, former Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Massachusetts. We talk about what prompted them to partner up and how they plan to help cities and towns create more walkable and bikeable environments. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the podcast on your p...
Apr 17, 2024•52 min•Season 7Ep. 241
In this episode, I connect with Petru Sofio, a passionate young transportation prodigy who is currently a high school senior in Arlington, MA, a small Boston area community next to Cambridge and Somerville. We discuss why and how he got engaged in advocating for Dutch-inspired cycle network and intersection signal design. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget ...
Apr 12, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 7Ep. 240
In the episode, I welcome back Cathy Tuttle, an anthropologist and planner, currently living in Utrecht in The Netherlands, to discuss her recent work in and studies of the values and cultural norms influencing the Dutch built environment we've become accustomed to, including the overlapping mobility networks and their current approach to public space. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listen...
Apr 10, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 7Ep. 239
Ethically, we should reduce highway lane miles, not expand them. In this episode, I chat with Jeanie Ward-Waller, who made national news last fall when she was let go from Caltrans, the California state DOT (Department of Transportation), after she blew the whistle on a process being employed to cut corners and add an additional freeway lane. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platfo...
Apr 05, 2024•55 min•Season 7Ep. 238
In this episode, I connect with Austin-based journalist and the author of the new book City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways, Megan Kimble. In the book, she follows the story of three major freeway fights playing out in the state of Texas over the period of about four years while channeling the movement of freeway removals and reparations nationwide. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe t...
Apr 03, 2024•51 min•Season 7Ep. 237
In this episode, I talk with Mike West about his quest to import proven Dutch sustainable safety mobility design concepts into his home state of Utah. Mike is a city planner working for Lehi, UT, while living in the planned community of Daybreak in South Jordan, UT, which features an impressive network of off-street pathways. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't for...
Mar 29, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Season 7Ep. 236
In this episode, I connect with Burnaby, BC-based transportation engineer Roy Symons, for a chat about his beautiful book fietspad: A Journey Through The Netherlands Documenting its Bicycle Infrastructure that he recently published. We also talk about his journey as a classically trained civil engineer from Scotland to a passionate advocate for the creation of active mobility infrastructure in his new home of British Columbia, Canada. Not surprisingly, Dutch cycle paths (fietspaden) and other fo...
Mar 22, 2024•59 min•Season 7Ep. 235
In this episode, I connect with Prue Oswin, founder of Sidelines Traffic from the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia, for a deep conversation about safer active transportation infrastructure. We even explore applying the four core virtues of stoicism - wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice - in designing environments appropriate for all ages and abilities, such as protected bike lanes, separated multi-use side paths, and raised crossings. We also discuss the need for traffic-calmed stree...
Mar 15, 2024•58 min•Season 7Ep. 234
Darcy Varney Kitching with Boulder Transportation Connections is back on the pod to talk about her new role in transportation demand management (TDM), share her personal experiences from her week without driving challenge, and reflect on her recent Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Active Tow...
Mar 08, 2024•58 min•Season 7Ep. 233
In this episode, I reconnect with Michael "Mike" Pasternock, who has catapulted the Strong Towns YouTube Channel to new heights in the past year. We discuss his journey from a high school teacher in the Midwest to a wedding video producer in the Phoenix area to the new face of the Strong Towns YouTube Channel based in Chicago. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't fo...
Mar 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 7Ep. 232
In this episode, I reconnect with Todd Litman, Founder and Executive Director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI) for a discussion about his research into the elements we must take into consideration as we strive to transform our communities into our desired paradises. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Active...
Feb 23, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 7Ep. 231
Rethink35 is suing TxDOT: Why this action has global implications. In this special, bonus episode, I connect with Kelsey Huse and Gregory Bertrand, volunteers with Rethink35, for an urgent conversation about the two legal actions that this community group has taken to try and stop this project. Please sign on to the Civil Rights Complaint and make a donation here: https://rethink35.org/ Making our highways wider and wider simply won't work. This is a proven fact, and yet state highway department...
Feb 19, 2024•45 min
In this episode, I connect with Lucy Maloney, an advocate and frequent spokesperson in the battle for safer streets and safe cycling routes in Vancouver, BC. We cover the ongoing disturbing trend of victim blaming instead of addressing the core street design issues, the recent move to remove bike lanes in Stanley Park, the push to create and maintain safer school streets, and much much more. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe...
Feb 16, 2024•53 min•Season 7Ep. 230
In this episode, I connect with Robert "Bob" Searns, the author of Beyond Greenways: The Next Step for City Trails and Walking Routes, a recent book published by Island Press. We discuss the concept of formal Grand Loops around entire cities and shorter Town Walks that can be cobbled together quite easily. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out and...
Feb 09, 2024•58 min•Season 7Ep. 229
In this episode, I welcome back Professor Peter Norton of the University of Virginia for a continuation of our discussion about the long legacy of parents fighting for safer streets in the United States of America and how Motordom ultimately prevailed in most cases where they were challenged. We also draw comparisons between the street safety protests of The Netherlands in the 1970s, which profoundly changed the trajectory of the country and helped to pave the way towards a country that broadly ...
Jan 31, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 7Ep. 228
In this episode, I connect with Joshua Funches for a conversation about the National Youth Bike Council and the Youth Bike Summit happening in June in Lehigh Valley, PA. We talk about their efforts to engage more youths and young adults in the bicycle movement, the empowering nature of kids being able to ride bikes to meet their daily transportation needs, and how the recent Bike Bus movement has accelerated the urgency to make our cities safer for kids to ride everywhere. Thank you so much for ...
Jan 26, 2024•52 min•Season 7Ep. 227
In this episode, I connect with Deema Aburizik, the force of nature behind the new Street Design Team, a firm that is taking inspiration from the Dutch Cycling Embassy, the European Cyclists' Federation, and other institutions to build the knowledge capacity needed to expand the active mobility networks on the ground in Dubai, the UAE and across the Middle East. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your prefer...
Jan 19, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 7Ep. 226
In this episode, I reconnect with Joe Minicozzi, founder of Urban3, to discuss why our traditional development patterns were and are more productive financially and how that relates to Strong Towns and creating more Active Towns that promote a culture of activity. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content Help...
Jan 12, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 7Ep. 225
Yay! Megan Ramey is featured in this final podcast episode of the year and the conclusion of Season 6. We had a fabulous conversation about her efforts to help create a positive culture of active mobility in Hood River, Oregon, starting naturally with the kids. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content Helpful...
Dec 29, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Season 6Ep. 224
In this bonus episode, which was adapted from our video conversation, Professor Billy Fields and Manuel "Manu" Calvo discuss the amazing transformation of Seville's cycle network and the emerging culture of utilitarian bike riding, especially with families, women, children, and the elderly. The network, which was patterned after those in the cycling cities of Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Utrecht, was designed between 2003 and 2005, and then work accelerated between 2006 and 2008 to establish a cor...
Dec 27, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 6Ep. 223
In this episode, I reconnect with traffic engineer activist and propagandartist extraordinaire, Mr. Andy Boenau. We discuss his recent documentary Healthy Havoc, the deadly challenge and legacy of status quo transportation engineering and planning in North America, and his new projects on the horizon. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Acti...
Dec 22, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 6Ep. 222
In this episode, I catch up with bike map creator extraordinaire and Jenkintown Borough council member-elect, Steve Spindler for an in-depth discussion about maps, map art, and long-distance bike touring and bike camping with his teenage daughter. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content Helpful Links (note t...
Dec 15, 2023•45 min•Season 6Ep. 221
Roger Rudick and Luke Bornheimer join me for a conversation about the ongoing sagas and successes playing out on the streets of San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area. We highlight several massive wins, including Car Free JFK, several amazing protected bike lanes, and the bike bus boom, but we also discuss the challenges of an ill-conceived center running, bi-directional cycle track on Valencia. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and su...
Dec 05, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 6Ep. 220
In this episode, I connect with Gary Oddi, President and co-founder of the Bike Temecula Valley Coalition in Temecula, California, for a discussion about their efforts to create an active mobility network for all ages and abilities in the area. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more content Helpful Links (note that...
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 219
In this episode, I connect with Dr. Matt Schaeffer, MD, general surgery resident at Wright State University Premiere Health in Dayton, OH, for a discussion about the nuance of bike lane design, encouraging more people to ride for optimal health and crash prevention all from a medical perspective. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the Podcast on your preferred listening platform, and don't forget to check out the Active To...
Nov 29, 2023•47 min•Season 6Ep. 218
In this episode, I connect with Steffen Berr, Traffic Advisor for the City of Haarlem in The Netherlands, for a conversation about the steps the city is taking to reduce the number of motor vehicles in the historic city center and we also discuss some of the specific traffic calming street design strategies the Dutch employ that the typical transportation professionals in the United States don't even consider. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a f...
Nov 24, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 217
In this episode, I connect with Jenna Hanes and Kelsey Huse, two of Austin's amazing change agents and activists who are making a profound difference through the TikTok videos they are producing and sharing out on X (formerly Twitter). From freeway fighting to advocating for protected bike lanes and safe crosswalks to making fun of silly, ineffective shade structures to defeating bad election measures, the videos these two produce are wickedly awesome. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enj...
Nov 22, 2023•51 min•Season 6Ep. 216
In this episode, I reconnect with Mike Packard, a traffic engineer with the firm SSFM, based in Honolulu, Hawai'i, for a conversation about some encouraging signs of improvement in the construction of safe and inviting bicycle and pedestrian facilities across the Hawaiian Islands. Although none of the islands have a working high-comfort active mobility network yet, each has a handful of facilities to build upon. We also compare and contrast the facilities he recently experienced in Osaka, Japan....
Nov 17, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 6Ep. 215
In this episode, I reconnect with Allen Cowgill, a Denver-based safer streets advocate extraordinaire who was inspired to start a new bike bus for his kid's elementary school, Brown International Academy. We chat about the good work being done to make Denver's streets safer and more inviting for all ages and abilities and the steps he and his volunteers took to launch the Brown Bike Bus. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to ...
Nov 15, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 214
In this episode, I connect with Veronica O. Davis, Houston's Director of Transportation and Drainage Operations and the author of Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities, for an in-depth conversation about how and why she got into the transportation field and what we can do to accelerate the process of building mobility systems that serve everyone, all ages and abilities, from all walks of life. Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please ...
Nov 10, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 6Ep. 213
