In this first episode of Season Five, I'm delighted to welcome a legend in the "people-oriented places movement", Mr. Gil Penalosa, who many of you know as the person that expanded the Ciclovia program in Bogata, Columbia to the point where it became the inspiration for Open Streets programs around the globe.

We discuss his recent run for mayor in Toronto, the need for city leaders to show the political will to move with a sense of urgency, and his desire to work more actively with older adult populations.

We also highlight that change is possible, looking at the experience of Copenhagen and cities in the Netherlands making the shift away from car dependency through the build-out of safe and inviting cycle networks for All Ages & Abilities. We also discuss the current transformation currently underway, including in Paris under the firm, visionary leadership of Mayor Hildalgo.

Watch the video version of this episode to get the full effect.

Landing page for the episode


Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Gil's main website
- 8 80 Cities website
- Gil's YouTube Channel
- Sign up page for the 15-Minute City Webinar
- Streetfilms video of Ciclovia

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 Patreon
2. 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 Channel
4. Pick up some Active Towns #StreetsAreForPeople Merch at my store

Credits:
All video and audio production by John Simmerman

Music:
Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this episode:
- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm
- Adobe Creative Cloud Suite

For more information about my Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit my links below:
- Website
- Twitter
- Newsletter
- Podcast landing pages
- Facebook
- Instagram

Background:
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, 2023

Advocates 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.