Can the US return to walkable, cyclable cities?
Listen now
Description
This time we're talking with our guest about life across the Pond. If early US cities were inherently walkable, what on earth happened? Is an active travel revolution possible in such a car-centric nation? Why are there parking minimums in new developments? And what on Earth is Euclidian zoning?! John Simmerman, of the Active Towns podcast and YouTube channel, joins Adam and Laura at the start of a two month European odyssey, to talk about his work promoting active lives in the US. John spent the first 15 years of his career promoting healthy living among employees in the corporate world, before shifting his focus to the built environment and its impact on health. In the USA, roads and motor traffic dominate public space, and interstate freeways divide and segregate communities, often along racial and socioeconomic lines. John's videos and podcast promote the benefits of walkable, bikeable costs both in terms of health and beyond, to quality of life and community vibrancy. Links: You can find out more about Active Towns, and John's work, here: https://www.activetowns.org; and his YouTube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/activetowns Euclid, it turns out, is a US village where zoning powers were first established by a local government. And Adam shared that Simpsons clip on Twitter a while back: https://twitter.com/i/status/1347530929816932353 By the way, if you want ad-free listening, behind-the-scenes and bonus content and to help support the podcast - head to (https://www.patreon.com/StreetsAheadPodcast). We’ll even send you some stickers!  We’re also on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: https://twitter.com/podstreetsahead If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think. Episode edited by Clare Mansell. Support Streets Ahead on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More Episodes
This time Ned and Laura go behind the walls of Pentonville Prison for this very special episode. Listeners may remember Stef Jones, founder of XO Bikes, who trains ex-offenders in cycle maintenance in south London to help them turn their lives around.  With UK prisons full to bursting, people...
Published 10/04/24
Published 10/04/24
Our last episode, an interview with Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh MP, caused a bit of a storm and went viral. Laura's interview was picked up by a host of UK national media including BBC News, The Sun, GB News, The Times and more. We discuss how the story happened, what it means...
Published 08/23/24