Velo-City 2023: A profile of Austin by Chris Bruntlett
While other cities were claiming, "We're not Amsterdam," Austin, Texas, was tirelessly translating Dutch principles onto its streets. In the past decade, it has built 380 kilometers of "all ages & abilities" cycleways and 16 protected intersections. Now cities will claim, We're not Austin." If a southern sunbelt city built on sprawl can do it, why can't yours?
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Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Dutch Cycling Embassy: dutchcycling.nl/
- Austin's Dutch-inspired playlist: bit.ly/AustinDutchBikePlaylist
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Credits: Video and audio production by John Simmerman
Music via Epidemic Sound: bit.ly/3rFLErD
Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live: bit.ly/3rwsUup
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite: bit.ly/35DBDDU
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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
Пікірлер: 18
Well done, Austinites! You can be proud of yourselves. Greetings from the Netherlands
@ActiveTowns
Жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for watching! We have a long way to go, but it is inspiring to see and document it happening. I have a playlist of more detailed and ride-along videos that you can access here bit.ly/AustinDutchBikePlaylist if you are interested. Cheers! John
@georgehsu1085
Жыл бұрын
Hopefully they keep it going... it's much improved in the heart of the city, but we're still struggling for good CONNECTED cycling infrastructure anywhere north or south of downtown. Fingers crossed!
@miles5600
Жыл бұрын
@@georgehsu1085 the plan and implementation has only started a couple of years ago. The Netherlands didn’t have a connected nationwide network either and it took them roughly 40 years to build a decent network and still after a whole 40 years we still have a lot of painted “infrastructure” that’s dangerous so seeing this and the investments being made in Austin and Houston becoming interested is such a revolution.
@ActiveTowns
Жыл бұрын
@@georgehsu1085 Yes, the 2014 bike plan map includes most of the city www.austintexas.gov/page/austin-bicycle-plan and it is being updated now www.austintexas.gov/news/review-and-provide-feedback-atx-walk-bike-roll-draft-plans As you can imagine, the further out you get from the historic core of the city, the wider the streets become, the longer the distances, and the more car-dependent the residents are, so the process takes much longer, with every installation being a significant challenge, unless there is an off-street pathway opportunity like the Boggy Creek Trail. Thanks so much for watching. If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out my Austin playlist: bit.ly/AustinDutchBikePlaylist Cheers! John
@TeutonicTribe
Жыл бұрын
@@georgehsu1085 Very true. We want protected lanes for errands, kids to/ from school, transportation- not just recreation.
Fifty years ago, Amsterdam wasn't Amsterdam either. Where they are now is the result of deliberate decisions, just like the car choked cesspools of the average American city. They just have to decide; do they want to be vibrant cities or car choked cesspools.
@ActiveTowns
Жыл бұрын
Yep. Precisely. And hopefully having more examples of successful transformations globally will accelerate the changes that are urgently needed. Cheers!
Any way y’all could come to Houston and help out with our multi-modal infrastructure? That Dutch plan is fantastic
@ActiveTowns
Жыл бұрын
As a matter fact… yes. We’re working on it and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis was here as well to participate in the proceedings.
@andrewmcgo
Жыл бұрын
@@ActiveTowns That’s exciting! Houston has a ton of potential to become a much more multi-modal (non-car-centric) city. Can’t wait to see what the future has in store!
His previous job was auction-master, or speaking-time was too short? ;-)
@ActiveTowns
Жыл бұрын
Hehe 😆 Yeah, it was a PechaKucha-style presentation, meant to be fast-paced and to the point.
@willekevanderham5326
Жыл бұрын
@@ActiveTowns It is not just the speed with which he is speaking, it is also the way the sound does not come through well. Maybe you can get the text he actually spoke and feed that into the KZread video for subtitles, the automated ones were no help.
@ActiveTowns
Жыл бұрын
@@willekevanderham5326 Let me see if I can generate a usable closed captioning file from the original video. Cheers! John
@ActiveTowns
Жыл бұрын
Whew! Okay, the captioning is up - it took the better part of 4 hours to do it manually since the AI was so off. Glad it wasn't any longer. hehe 🤣
@willekevanderham5326
Жыл бұрын
@@ActiveTowns thanks a lot