Thursday, January 20, 2011

Recent Developments: Back in Tucson and the Living Streets Alliance



NOTE: This was a post I had started a few months back before spring semester commenced. Since then, things have become infinitely more busy. However, now I have a better idea of the direction I want to move in. This post is a combination of the old material I had previously written and newer updates on my life.

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It has been a long while since I last posted. This is due to the fact that I have been traveling around various countries in Europe. I was traveling for a few weeks and I saw some incredible European cities.



I had previously read extensively about many of the countries I visited. However, physically visiting these places was an entirely different and wonderful phenomenon. I was able to see, first hand, how a city could be organized around bicycle transportation (Amsterdam, among many others). I saw how high speed rail has become the new normal in Europe and changed the face of long and medium distance travel for the better (Germany, among others). I was able to easily walk or take public transit to every destination I desired everywhere I went.

It was truly wonderful.



Returning to Tucson, AZ for the spring semester I am now involved with sustainable transportation on the local level. Currently, I am working with the Living Streets Alliance.

As of late, I have decided my new career focus is education and advocacy.

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Newer material; written 2/28

In the vein of education being my newest interest, I recently became a bike ambassador for Pima County. This means that I will be participating extensively in bike events (such as the upcoming Tucson Cyclovia) as well as assisting with other bike education and safety programs.


Another interesting development recently occurred as well. A prominent local bike blog, Tucson Velo, held a letter writing contest. This contest stated that everyone should write letters to the mayor encouraging him to vote against the proposed city zoning code revision that would decrease the accessibility and quality of bike parking in the city.

I ended up writing a letter, which was published on Tucson Velo. When this occurred, a local news woman, Larrisa Wohl, decided she wanted to interview me for a weekly news segment called "2 Wheelin' in Tucson".

Today I was interviewed for this story. I will be posting the video segment as soon as it is released.

On a more local level, I am currently living at 1st Ave. and Linden St. This is in close proximity to the 4th Ave./Fontana bike boulevard currently under construction. The completion of this facility will profoundly affect my neighborhood, as it connects many portions of the denser urban portions of Tucson with each other. Overall, this is a very positive development and I look forward to its completion towards the end of the spring semester.

As previously mentioned, I am very involved with the Living Streets Alliance. I am now an official board member as well. I have met many incredible people through this group and I continue to make many great connections.


Now, the blog itself.

I definitely want to continue blogging. I am currently planning on developing some different blogs with a wider variety of topics. I have changed the theme of this blog too many times to justify continuing with it in the long run. However, until I start those other blogs, I will continue to use this blog as my primary platform for updates on my life and work.

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