Ep 6 - A Glass Of Wine On The Sidewalk with Mikael Colville-Andersen

05/26/23 • 48 min

Ep 6 was recorded in Copenhagen with Mikael Colville-Andersen: urban planner, activist, host of the TV series The Life-Sized City and the author of Copenhagenize - The Definitive Guide To Global Bicycle Urbanism.
He's also behind the Bikes4Ukraine initiative.
We talk about:
-Copenhagen, of course, but also Barcelona, Paris, Brussels, Montreal and others
-cycle chic and the arrogance of space
-the better choice between a dumb city and a "smart city"
-what are modern cobblestones and sponge parks
-the joys of sidewalk life
-how to communicate the reallocation of urban space: ask or don't ask the citizens
-why cities are more influential than climate summits
-the analog gift of the pandemic
-how to get from 2% cycling share in a city to 10% in one year
-bikes in war and disaster zones
-the US disappointment and the car hell in the center of Europe
-participatory democracy at street level, new people’s movements
-the age of urbanism after the car dictatorship
-how a metro is not always a great idea
-why even Denmark still has a problem with cars
More about Mikael here:
https://www.colville-andersen.com/
Donate to the Bikes4Ukraine iniative:
https://www.bikes4ukraine.org/

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Collective Choices is a podcast by Doru Oprisan, exploring sustainable choices for a better future and the process of agreeing on those choices. Thanks for listening and sharing!
Help me continue this podcast:
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Get in touch:
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www.doruoprisan.com

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Previous Episode

Ep 5 - Creating the Biggest Wilderness Reserve in Europe with Christoph Promberger

Episode 5 of Collective Choices was recorded in the Carpathian Mountains, in Transylvania, Romania. Christoph Promberger is the executive director of Foundation Conservation Carpathia.
We talk about:
-the story behind the biggest national park Europe will soon have
-fighting the government and the timber mafia
-what do you do when you receive a forest
-why a conservation project would have a hunting association and would sponsor a football club
-why Romania should be your next eco-tourism destination
-how lack of long term vision affects economic growth for generations
-how distrust endangers conservation efforts and why it’s worth believing in exceptional people
-getting along with bison and bears
-when Western Europe is not a good example to follow and when poorer countries have a lot to offer
-why you need (some) development in a nature reserve
-cute animal videos
Read more about the project and even plan your next visit here:
https://www.carpathia.org/

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Next Episode

Ep 7 - How A Mobility Expert Moves With Kids feat. Marie Pellas

Ep. 7 of Collective Choices was recorded in Uppsala, Sweden, with Marie Pellas, mobility expert and winner of the Traffic Award for 2023.
We talk about:
- how do you win a traffic award
- living an (almost) car free life with kids
- how the size of a city, its design and the options available influence travel choices
- you need infrastructure to change behaviors, but you have to feel the change before you know you want it
- how politicians are open to build new infrastructure, but not to prioritize differently in the existing one
- why the planners should navigate the city without their car
- a mother’s experience with the beg button
- trying to explain to children why the infrastructure is against them and why they are blamed
- how municipalities reacted to the energy prices and why the attitude will change regarding the transportation sector as well
Marie works at Mälardalen Energikontoret:
https://energikontor.se/

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