Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Episode 326: I reconnect with Carter Lavin for an in-depth discussion about his new book, If You Want to Win, You've Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective Transportation Advocacy. Whether you are trying to create safer, more inviting streets for all ages and abilities, expand a transit system, heck, or just get a more dignified transit stop shelter and bench, you will need to "expand your tent," grow a coalition, and get strategically political, and Carter shows you how in this helpful guidebook.
Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
👉 Carter’s website: carterlavin.com
👉 Buy the Book via the Active Towns bookshop: bookshop.org/a/85379/9781642833737 or via Amazon: amzn.to/4t7MpZ7
👉 My Livestream with Prof Wes Marshall discussing his book, Killed By A Traffic Engineer: youtube.com/live/26LuHqFQ0bY
Chapters/Video Timeline:
0:00:00 All of this is Hard Work for Everyone
0:02:20 Meet Carter Lavin
0:03:21 Story Behind the Book's Title
0:05:32 Don't Be a Terrible Jerk
0:07:49 Summary of the Book Chapters
0:09:20 Does the Title Turn People Off?
0:12:28 People Who Are Wrong Win A Lot
0:16:58 This is Politics
0:37:55 Building Coalitions
0:44:20 Changing the Status Quo is Difficult
0:48:50 Inside/Outside Games
0:54:50 Applying Pressure
1:05:00 New Leaders
1:09:34 Have Empathy
1:13:00 A Guidebook for Change
1:16:00 It's Not About Any Particular Fight
Thank you so much for watching! If you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs-up, leave a comment below, and share it with a friend. If you'd like more content like this, please subscribe to the Active Towns Channel, and be sure to "Ring" that notification bell to select your notification preferences.
If you are a fan of the Active Towns Channel, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Become a Member of Active Towns right here on YouTube by clicking on the Join button and selecting the level that best suits you
2. Join the Patreon community: patreon.com/activetowns
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to all my video content)
3. If you enjoyed this video, you can also "leave a tip" by clicking on the Super Thanks button right here on YouTube or through "Buy Me a Coffee" buymeacoffee.com/activetowns
4. Make a donation to my non-profit, Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. at activetowns.org/donate
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
For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
Website: activetowns.org
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/activetowns.bsky.social
Newsletter: bit.ly/SubscribeActiveTownsNewsletter
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, 2025
Episode 326: I reconnect with Carter Lavin for an in-depth discussion about his new book, If You Want to Win, You've Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective Transportation Advocacy. Whether you are trying to create safer, more inviting streets for all ages and abilities, expand a transit system, heck, or just get a more dignified transit stop shelter and bench, you will need to "expand your tent," grow a coalition, and get strategically political, and Carter shows you how in this helpful guidebook.
Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
👉 Carter’s website: carterlavin.com
👉 Buy the Book via the Active Towns bookshop: bookshop.org/a/85379/9781642833737 or via Amazon: amzn.to/4t7MpZ7
👉 My Livestream with Prof Wes Marshall discussing his book, Killed By A Traffic Engineer: youtube.com/live/26LuHqFQ0bY
Chapters/Video Timeline:
0:00:00 All of this is Hard Work for Everyone
0:02:20 Meet Carter Lavin
0:03:21 Story Behind the Book's Title
0:05:32 Don't Be a Terrible Jerk
0:07:49 Summary of the Book Chapters
0:09:20 Does the Title Turn People Off?
0:12:28 People Who Are Wrong Win A Lot
0:16:58 This is Politics
0:37:55 Building Coalitions
0:44:20 Changing the Status Quo is Difficult
0:48:50 Inside/Outside Games
0:54:50 Applying Pressure
1:05:00 New Leaders
1:09:34 Have Empathy
1:13:00 A Guidebook for Change
1:16:00 It's Not About Any Particular Fight
Thank you so much for watching! If you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs-up, leave a comment below, and share it with a friend. If you'd like more content like this, please subscribe to the Active Towns Channel, and be sure to "Ring" that notification bell to select your notification preferences.
If you are a fan of the Active Towns Channel, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Become a Member of Active Towns right here on YouTube by clicking on the Join button and selecting the level that best suits you
2. Join the Patreon community: patreon.com/activetowns
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to all my video content)
3. If you enjoyed this video, you can also "leave a tip" by clicking on the Super Thanks button right here on YouTube or through "Buy Me a Coffee" buymeacoffee.com/activetowns
4. Make a donation to my non-profit, Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. at activetowns.org/donate
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
For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
Website: activetowns.org
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/activetowns.bsky.social
Newsletter: bit.ly/SubscribeActiveTownsNewsletter
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, 2025
