Kirk Seyfert got his start in a church basement. As he describes it, he was just a guy who cared about biking and transportation access, and started noticing a need in his community of Salem, Oregon. Seyfert heard about some neighbors who were walking miles to their third shift jobs because they didn’t own cars and the city bus service shut down during evenings and weekends. He thought that access to bikes might make a difference for these guys, and he was right.
That spark of an idea has since grown into a nonprofit called the Northwest Hub that reclaims and refurbishes bikes for low-income people, teaches bike maintenance classes, provides job training for young people, and more. It’s a great example of an organization that has adapted over time based on community needs.
In this conversation, you’ll hear from Seyfert about how his program got started, the issues they’ve been working on, and how you might implement something similar in your city. We have a saying at Strong Towns that small improvements in bike infrastructure and access are some of the most high-return investments you can make in your city. You’ll see how true that is in this story.
Additional Show NotesVisit the Northwest Hub website.
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Finding Your Community's True Essence
Making Your Local Business a Third Place
Connecting with Your Community on Foot
Breaking Down Silos in Rural Communities
Using (and Understanding) Open Data
Investing in the Youth
Deciding What to Do First
Starting a Successful Pop-up Shop
Spreading the Strong Towns Message Locally
Getting Ideas for Making Your Neighborhood Stronger
Building an Accessory Dwelling Unit
Boosting Historic Business Districts with Gamification
Starting a Bike Advocacy Group
Providing Healthy Food in Our Urban Neighborhoods
Crowdfunding Your Ideas
Documenting Your City
Innovating in Local Government
Starting a Neighborhood Association
Loving Where You Live
Running for City Council
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