In this episode, Bruce Appleyard returns with an update on the release of his innovative rewrite and expansion of his father, Don Appleyard's book, Livable Streets, as Livable Streets 2.0. We also talk about the legacy of his father's work and how two tragic car crashes influenced his career path. We conclude with reflections on positive trends for safer, more livable streets around the globe and the new projects he's excited about, especially one with Dan Burden with Blue Zones.
Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
👉 Buy Livable Streets 2.0 in the Active Towns Bookshop
or via Amazon
👉 Bruce’s personal website
👉 Bruce on LinkedIn
👉 Bruce’s email address: bappleyard@sdsu.edu
👉 My first interview with Bruce
👉 My On-Bike Interview with Dan Burden in Austin
👉 Blue Zones website
👉 Tim Gill Playlist
👉 Lenore Skenazy episode
👉 Clarence’s 34th Ave Documentary - Livable Streets
👉 Families for Safe Streets episode
👉 Oahu MPO website
👉 My episode with Angie Schmitt
👉 Emergency Streets episode with Prof. Kevin Krizek
👉 My bike tour of Houten with Prof. Billy Fields and Kylie van Dam
👉 Street Design episode with Victor Dover
👉 Killed by a Traffic Engineer follow-up episode with Prof Wes Marshall
👉 My episode with Beth Osborne
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. Become an Active Towns Member on YouTube for exclusive member-only content and Livestreams
2. Join the Active Towns Patreon community. Contributions start at just $3 per month
3. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
4. Make a donation to my non-profit, Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc., to help support my pro bono work with cities
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 Bluesky
- Weekly Update e-Newsletter
Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 35 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, 2026
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
