City Dweller

David William Rosales is a writer and an environmental advocate. His interests include traveling, urbanism, public transit, and city living. He lives car-free in New York City, and he spent two years living car-free while traveling full-time.

Daniel Herriges is the Policy Director at the Parking Reform Network, an organization that educates the public about the impact of parking policy on climate change, equity, housing, and traffic. He is a lifelong urbanist and advocate for people-centered places. Daniel lives in his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife and two young children.

The QueensLink is a group of grassroots activists seeking to improve public transit and open space in Central and South Queens through the creative reuse of a long-neglected, city-owned treasure, the Rockaway Beach Branch right-of-way. Their leaders are volunteers who live in New York City, a majority of them in Queens.

Yohann Milan has a interest in railways and public transportation, and he makes videos on his YouTube channel, Le Ferrovipathe, that focus on the railways and public transportation in the Paris region.

Michael Moritz is an organizer with Stop TxDOT I-45, an organization that is fighting to stop the expansion of Interstate 45 through the city of Houston, Texas. The expansion project is expected to displace over 1000 homes.

Stephanie Watt is an urban geographer and an advocate for children's rights and play. She served on Montreal's city council from 2017 to 2021, where she championed feminism, parks, play, and child-friendly cities. Stephanie is the cofounder and codirector of Metalude, a firm that partners with municipalities and organizations to develop child and youth engagement, playable public spaces, and child and youth-inclusive municipal policy.

Chris Denham has been a railway enthusiast since childhood. He is the Senior Media Relations Manager forNetwork Rail, the public body that owns and operates Great Britain's railway infrastructure.

Jaime Cano is one of the Directors of Escuelita del Alma, a Spanish immersion daycare and preschool in Austin, Texas. Escuelita del Alma was founded in 2000, and it's being displaced for the second time as a result of a project to widen Interstate 35 through Austin.

Paul Klein lives on City Island, an island that it part of the Bronx but has a small-town feel. He is the owner of Kaleidoscope Gallery and the President of the City Island Chamber of Commerce.

Nic Laporte lives in Vancouver and is the creator behind the YouTube channel @nicthedoor where he makes videos about micromobility and urbanism.

Joe Schwarten grew up in the Cleveland area and moved back to Cleveland after living in the Bay Area. He lives a car-free lifestyle and is the chair of Clevelanders for Public Transit, an organization that advocates for improvements to public transportation in the Cleveland area.

Graham Garfield has worked for the Chicago Transit Authority for almost 25 years. He is currently coordinating the construction of Phase 1 of the Red-Purple Modernization Project. Graham also runs Chicago-L.org, a website that provides extensive information about Chicago's rapid transit system.

Audrey Wennick leads the transportation policy efforts at the Metropolitan Planning Council, a Chicago-based organization that generates community-informed ideas about issues including housing, sustainability, and transportation. She is focused on improving the sustainability and equity of the transportation system, pursuing sustainable funding for transportation in Illinois, integration of performance-based planning methods into transportation practice, and advancing equitable transit-oriented development.

W. Robert Schultz III has been an activist in Chicago for the past several decades, championing causes including marriage equality, the abolition of the death penalty, and the protection of immigrant rights. Since 2018, he has worked as a campaign organizer for the Active Transportation Alliance, promoting access to walking, biking, and transit. Robert was inducted into Chicago's LGBT Hall of Fame in 2024.

Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth is the alderwoman of Chicago's 48th ward, which includes parts of Andersonville, Edgewater, and Uptown. She was elected in May 2023. Prior to taking office, Leni was a longtime local small-business owner and community organizer in the ward, where she has lived for over 20 years.

Erik Bootsma has a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. He is a registered architect in the state of Virginia and has been in private practice since 2014, focusing on ecclesiastical architecture. Erik is interested in the role that architecture and urban design play in urbanism.

Rishab Mehan is the Director of Development Planning at the Chicago Housing Authority. His main priorities are working with and for communities in Cabrini-Green and along South State Street to plan and implement redevelopments on underutilized public land. Rishab previously worked as a housing policy planner in Toronto.

Mark Richardson is the Chief Technology Officer at Rich Analytics. He is also the Founder and Technical Lead of the HousingNowTO.com affordable-housing tracking and transparency project.

Nicole Rodriguez is the President of the board of Urban Phoenix Project, an organization that is working to create a more livable city where people can comfortably walk, bike, take transit, and enjoy quality urban spaces. She has a varied background in urban planning, urban forestry and sustainability.

Rachel Aldred is a Professor of Transport at the University of Westminster and Director of the University's Active Travel Academy. Her research focuses on sustainable mobilities and especially active transport.

Lauren Viera is a professional writer and communications consultant with over 25 years of experience. She loves Chicago so much that she wrote a book called The 500 Hidden Secrets of Chicago.

Alderwoman Maria Hadden is the first Black, queer woman elected to the Chicago City Council. She represents the 49th Ward, sometimes called "Little Chicago," because of the racial, ethnic, and economic demographics that most reflect Chicago's diversity. Maria has a background in community organizing and participatory democracy.

Molly Fleck lives in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood with her husband and son. She serves on the Sheffield Neighborhood Association's Board of Directors and Oscar Mayer Magnet School's Local School Council. You will often find Molly riding her bike around Chicago.

Sammy Schneider is an architect, and Steven Vance is an urban planner. They both live in Chicago and are members of Urban Environmentalists, an organization that advocates for cities and towns with abundant housing, work and play only a short bike or transit ride away; safe and independent mobility for all; lively and green public spaces; clean air and water; and affordability for all who wish to live there. The opinions that they express in this interview are their own and not those of Urban Environmentalists.

Jon Stone is a London-based journalist. He's passionate about cities and urbanism, and he shares this passion through his YouTube channel, London Cycle Routes, where he posts videos showing people how to cycle between a variety of places in London.

Pablo Rodriguez is an aspiring urban planner with a passion for trees and urban green space. He is a certified TreeKeeper. The TreeKeeper Certification Course, offered by Openlands, gives participants an appreciation for trees in the Chicago area through learning about urban forestry in the age of climate change and best practices in tree planting and care to build a more resilient urban forest.

Kevin Klinkenberg has worked as an urban planner since 1993. He blogs about urban planning and design issues and hosts The Messy City Podcast. Kevin is the author of Why I Walk: Taking a Step in the Right Direction, a personal story of the benefits of living in a walkable neighborhood.

Matt Martin is the alderman for the 47th Ward, an office that he has held since 2019. Prior to being elected alderman, Matt worked as a civil rights lawyer at the Illinois Attorney General's Office, where he focused on important issues including police reform, immigration, healthcare, and worker's rights.

Emmanuel Nunez is a biomedical engineer who is advocating for improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructre in Houston. He is currently focused on the preservation of recent pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure improvements on a portion of 11th Street that goes through the Houston Heights neighborhood. These improvements are under threat as Mayor John Whitmire who was elected in 2023 has expressed disdain for similar projects across the city.

Carrie Shepherd is a reporter for Axios Chicago. She was previously a reporter, producer, and editor at WBEZ, Chicago's National Public Radio station and a producer at City Cast Chicago.

Becca and James are an English couple who've lived in a number of countries. They are currently living in Philadelphia. I met them when I gave them a personalized tour of Chicago during their visit in 2023.

Paige Saunders is a Montreal-based video journalist who focuses on opportunities to improve our government and cities. His work ranges from urban issues like transit and housing to digital government and electoral reform.

Jay Foreman is an English comedian, YouTuber, cartography and urban planning enthusiast, educator, and singer-songwriter. He grew up in north London, and continues to live in London.

Kristin Fehrman is an artist and writer who has lived a car-free life for the last 10 years. She is passionate about sharing her experience of car-free living with others. After living for several years in San Francisco, New York, and Boston, Kristin moved back to her hometown in northern Michigan before moving to Detroit.

Alan Fisher produces the Armchair Urbanist, a YouTube series about urban planning, transportation, and history, primarily focused on North America. He had the unique experience of growing up in a walkable American small town, and this contributed to his interest in cities and urbanism.

Jeremy Glover's interest in cities began while he was a college student in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and his passion for cities blossomed while living in New York City. This led Jeremy to pursue a career as a transportation planner. His focus is on rebalancing streets to provide more opportunities for active transportation while promoting density in areas that are well-served by public transportation.

Maddy Novich is a New Yorker who uses a cargo bike to get around the city. You can find her on Instagram at cargobikemomma where she shares her experience of riding a cargo bike, answers questions, and posts advice for people who are new to riding a cargo bike.

Leah and Iman are friends who grew up in the Chicago community of Rogers Park. In 2020, they started an Instagram account called Residents of Rogers Park where they post profiles of Rogers Park residents whom they've interviewed.

Lea Pinsky is the Executive Director of Art Encounter, an organization whose mission is to educate, empower, and connect people of all ages and backgrounds through interactive encounters with visual art. Along with her husband, Dustin Harris, she also founded the Evanston Mural Arts Program which pairs professional artists with community groups to create large-scale public works of art.

Lisa Degliantoni lived in a number of cities, including San Franciso and New York, before moving to Evanston. She is the founder and co-director of Evanston Made, a community arts initiative supported by a volunteer corps advocating for visibility and awareness of Evanston artists. Evanston Made designs and builds programming, exhibitions, and professional development to support Evanston artists.

Amanda and Christina are two friends, who along with their friend Sarah, love to explore Chicago and other cities that they visit. Along the way, they admire the architecture while also stopping to enjoy local coffee shops, restaurants, and bars. You can find photos of their adventures on Instagram at Quaint Cuties.

David Leroy Thomas is a cinematographer who grew up in a small town in the Midwestern United States. His interest in cities led him to move to a series of increasingly larger cities, culminating in a move to London in 2019.

Brian Lee is the founder of Roamli, a platform that helps organizations create experiences, including scavenger hunts, walking tours, and interactive maps, that introduce both locals and visitors to the sights and sounds in their community.

Deborah Maris Lader is the founder and director of the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative. She exhibits her prints, drawings, photography, and mixed media artwork internationally. Deborah set up the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative to foster dialogue, collaboration, and community among Chicago's printmakers, as well as to educate and share the beauty of the medium with the broader public, both locally and internationally.

Miles Taylor is the creator of Miles in Transit, a YouTube channel where he makes entertaining videos about his adventures on public transportation, both in the United States and abroad. These include taking a cross-country Greyhound trip, taking local public transportation from Washington, DC to Boston, and attempting to visit the least-used Amtrak station in each state.

Anna is an artist who grew up in Russia and is based in New York City. She loves to travel and to explore cities around the world. Anna has worked as a tour guide in New York and has volunteered with Big Apple Greeter.

Kevin O'Neil is a retired journalist who loves exploring Chicago on foot. In 2020, he moved to McKinley Park on Chicago's Southwest Side. Prior to that, Kevin lived for many years in Rogers Park on Chicago's Far North Side.

Josh Val Martin is a tour guide, and he writes for theater and television. Josh runs Free Manchester Walking Tours, and he and his other tour guides provide a daily free walking tour of Manchester.

Joe Schwieterman is a Professor at DePaul University in the School for Public Service, Department of Public Policy, and Sustainable Urban Development​ program and Director of DePaul's Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, which promotes effective urban planning. He is an expert in the fields of public policy, transportation and urban planning, and is the author of numerous books and peer-reviewed articles on the development of cities and transportation.

Reece is the creator and host of RMTransit, a YouTube channel focused on transit, infrastructure, and development around the world. He lives without a car and relies on public transportation and walking for almost all of his trips.

Paul is a lifelong Londoner and the head of London Greeters, one of more than 130 greeter organizations around the world that offer visitors free private walks with a local. London Greeters was born out of a desire to build on the legacy of the 2012 Olympics. Their greeters are volunteers who share their love of London with visitors.