As 2023 comes to a close, we want to thank you for your continued support of Active Wisconsin. Advocating for active transportation is not easy or glamorous work, but we are committed. We know that supporting equitable access to transportation networks is critical to achieving a healthy, sustainable future. The good news is the word is spreading! Activists nationwide are calling for safe streets for all users, real action on climate change, and repair of the damage done by highway projects. We are proud to be a part of that work, and we are glad you are a part of it, too.
2023 was a big year for us:
We launched the Community Transportation Academy in La Crosse...
...and Stevens Point!
The Academy is a free course for anyone who wants to learn more about local transportation planning so they can be a more effective advocate at the local level. Over the course of 10 weeks, participants learn about local planning processes, explore safe street design, hear from guest experts, tour local infrastructure, and develop real problem-solving strategies for addressing local transportation issues. Planning for a 2024 Academy in Beloit is underway.
We welcomed Carl Glasemeyer as our new Transportation Policy Analyst.
Carl Glasemeyer entered the field of urban planning as a citizen advocate while working as a visual artist and educator. After graduating from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2021 with a Master’s of Urban Planning, Carl worked as a multimodal transportation planner for Wisconsin Department of Transportation in the Southeast Region. Carl has experience reviewing bicycle and pedestrian facilities design, promoting safety improvements for roadway projects, and coordinating with project managers to ensure ADA compliant design. Carl sits on the steering committee for Wisconsin’s Coalition for More Responsible Transportation and advocates for a systematic revision of Wisconsin’s highway network to reconnect communities. They lead our efforts to tear down I-794 and reconnect the neighborhood with a people friendly boulevard along with other projects in Milwaukee neighborhoods. Check out Rethink794.com for the details.
We hosted a special event in Appleton called Moving Communities Forward on Active Transportation, featuring guest speakers from all over the state, including Assembly Reps Kristina Shelton and Lee Snodgrass.
Working statewide means that we do not often have the opportunity to gather in person, so this event was extra special! In fact, it was the first time since the Covid pandemic began that members of the Active Wisconsin network had an opportunity to meet face-to-face, and we were eager to build on the momentum growing across the state to advocate for safe streets and climate-friendly land use. YES, we are planning another event for 2024!
We did all of that and more, and we are excited to build on this work with communities statewide in 2024!