Joyride Pedaling Toward A Healthier Future Essay

Before taking this course, I had not given much thought to the urban setting and how cities were formed. What I learned though was that cites are carefully planned and constructed. Looking back in history you can see how cities were typically located near bodies of water where they could get their resources and travel by boat. But as transportation evolved, cites were beginning to spread inward away from these bodies of water where they would rely on other means of transportation to bring them their resources. When I went and visited the Orenco Station you could clearly see all the planning that was involved in creating this town. From the location right by the max line you could tell that it was very pedestrian friendly, as well as everything being located in close proximity. When I travelled across the country I could also see all the planning that went into creating the cities, their roads and sources of power. Everything was planned and put into place for a reason.

What I learned though is that everything takes a lot time and planning to create these changes. For example let’s take the issue of making cites become more biker friendly. This took a lot of likeminded people with a vision working together to create this change. In a video I watched, Mia Birk the author of Joyride: Pedaling Toward a Healthier Future, discusses how she was able to help transform Portland into a cycling mecca that inspired the nation. Her inspiration for wanting to create this change came from visiting European countries that were progressive when it came to creating a safe space for bikers to be on roadways. I liked how Mia was able to take what she saw there and implement those ideas here in the states. I think we should all take note of what Mia did and look at other countries and cities for ways we could improve