Active Towns

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 preferred listening platform. Also, don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more video content.

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Speck Dempsey
- Jeff on LinkedIn
- Chris on LinkedIn
- My first episode with Jeff
- Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk - DPZ
- Suburban Nation
- Walkable City 10th Anniversary Edition
- Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU)
- Logo design animation
- Ethan Pidgeon
- Ethan on Insta
- Ethan on LinkedIn
- The Color of Law book
- E-bike Library
- Cargo Bike Share
- CargoB on Twitter
- My Carmel, IN video
- My interview with Brandon Lust about Carmel
- Brandon's Channel
- Lancaster Blvd Redesign
- My Mueller Community Playlist

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative ...

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 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 some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Brown Bike Bus
- Denver Bicycle Lobby
- Denver Streets Partnership
- Downtown Denver Partnership
- Bike Streets/VAMOS
- Pedestrian Dignity
- Bike Bus Interview with Sam Balto
- Bike Train Interview w/ Megan Ramey
- I-25 Impacts article
- RMI Travel Calculator

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

In this episode, I reconnect with Professor Wes Marshall for a discussion about his new book Killed By A Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies Our Transportation System. Note that this episode was recorded as a Livestreaming event on YouTube so we do frequently take questions from the audience via the chat window.

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. Also, don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more video content.

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Killed by a Traffic Engineer (Island Press)
- Killed by a Traffic Engineer by Wes Marshall in my shop or on Amazon
- My first episode w/ Wes
- My ride in Denver w/ Wes part one
- My ride in Denver w/ Wes part two
- My ride to Houten, NL
- My interview Kylie, a Houten resident

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024

In this episode, Dr. Natalia Barbour and I discuss her family's big move from The Netherlands back to Florida and a few of her recent publications as a researcher and Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida.

We talk about the network of separated pathways that allow her and her family to meet many of their daily needs, including getting to school, the grocery store, and the coffee shop without having to drive. We also discuss her new cargo bike and how other moms are imagining the possibilities.

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 some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Video version of this episode
- My first episode w/ Professor Barbour
- Become Dr. Barbour's Ph.D. student
- Research article on Intended cycling frequency and the role of happiness
- Research article on bicycle helmets
- Book - The Transport System and Transport Policy
- My #BikeBus episode w/ Coach Balto

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023

In this episode, I connect with Kristin Fehrman of Walking Detroit for a conversation about how she profiles the beauty and simple pleasures of car-free living in Motor City. During our chat, we trace her journey from Traverse City, MI to a handful of big cities across North America, including San Francisco, Charlotte, Boston, and NYC, only to find herself drawn back to her home state, settling down in Detroit.

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. Also, don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more video content.

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Walking Detroit Blog
- Walking Detroit Instagram
- Kristin’s personal Instagram
- Kristin's Design website
- Joel Landy article
- Detroit Bikes
- Back Alley Bikes

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $1 per month
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to content and a 15% discount in the Active Towns Merch Store)
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Twitter
- Periodic e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving 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."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video 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 once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024