Show #147 – June 15, 2013

GUESTS: SENATOR SHERROD BROWN, KORY PIORKOWSKI, JEFF SPECK

 

Here we are in mid-June, and if you live in the northern hemisphere, and you’re not riding your bike on a regular basis, check your pulse; you might have expired and not even know it! Meanwhile, here at the Outspoken Cyclist Department of Sustainability Department, we have three great guests to engage your brain.

We are pleased and honored to welcome back U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who revealed, among other things that he walks the mile to work at the Capitol Building. Senator Brown is also very upbeat on the progress Ohio is making in the areas of sustainable transportation and urban revitalization.

Sometimes, the best time to undertake an over-the-top adventure is when you’re young and haven’t yet learned the meaning of impossible (and I mean that in the positive sense). Kory Piorkowski and Michael-John O’Neal are two young men who are determined to determine what they and our country are capable of this summer. They left this week on an east-to-west continental bike trip with a goal of finishing in two months. Along the way, they’ll be promoting sustainable culture. On the eve of their departure, Kory stopped in to the WJCU studios to talk about their project: Spokes of Green.

After a bit of news and a break, author and city planner Jeff Speck joins us for an extended conversation about walkability. Jeff has written a new book entitled Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time, which talks about the re-population of urban core areas, and what cities can do to encourage the process. I know you might be thinking “wonk alert” but Jeff will blow your mind on topics like parking, one-way streets and the difference between walking and walking.