City Dweller

Galen Mook is the Executive Director of MassBike , a non-profit advocacy organization whose mission is to make bicycling an integral part of human-centered communities, policies, culture, and infrastructure in Massachusetts. He has been involved in bicycle advocacy since his time as a student at Boston University where he co-founded a student group, BU Bikes.

Dan Sullivan is a long-time resident of Chicago's Rogers Park community. He has played an instrumental role in the transformation of the area around the Jarvis Red Line station into Jarvis Square , an area known for its thriving small businesses, lively street life, and neighborhood events. Although the transformation began over 20 years ago, it has gained momentum since 2020 when part of Jarv...

Alicia Pederson is the founder of Courtyard Urbanist . She is focused on family-friendly courtyard housing. Alicia collaborates with municipalities, developers, architects, institutions, manufacturers, community organizations, and policy leaders to adapt the courtyard-block tradition that's common in Europe to contemporary North American conditions.

Shereen Joseph grew up in Malaysia and moved to Canada with her family when she was in high school. She moved to Montreal over 25 years ago and feels at home there in a way that she doesn't feel elsewhere in Canada.

Christine So lives in Hong Kong, and she is an avid traveler. Christine loves to explore new places and to meet new people along the way. She has been an amputee since birth. While growing up, Christine used a prosthetic leg, but at the age of 21, she decided to become a full-time crutch user.

Joe Baur is an author and adventure travel writer and filmmaker based in Berlin. Once a week, he uploads a YouTube video comparing life in the United States versus Europe and beyond. One of Joe's reasons for moving to Germany was the ability to access nature without needing a car.

Elsa Mehanna is a young architect and artist with a deep love for art and design. She loves to explore Paris on foot, as well as other cities that she visits during her frequent travels.

Ted Maxwell lives in Bethnel Green, a neighborhood in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets . Only 29% of households in Tower Hamlets own a car, one of the lowest rates of car ownership in the United Kingdon. He is part of Save Our Safer Streets , a group of Bethnal Green residents and business owners who want to keep and improve the newly built pedestrian-friendly streets in the area that are being...

Karl Gnadt, is the Managing Director of the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) , a bus system that serves Champaign-Urbana, a small metropolitan area of almost 250,000 people that's home to the University of Illinois. The MTD carries more riders annually than the public transit systems in Indianapolis or Nashville.

Nathan Knize is a librarian who lives car-free in Chicago. He is the co-host of Silent Generation , a cultural analysis podcast that surveys the cultural consequences of car-oriented development in the mid-20th century. It explores what was lost between the Silent Generation and Generation Z. The topics that they discuss include aesthetics, fashion, history, and urbanism.

Zach Welden is the founder of Lakeview Urbanists , a group that brings together neighbors in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood to advocate for safer streets, great transit, more housing, and more greenspace.

Christian Lenhart is a civil engineer and one of the people behind The Rio Grande Plan , a citizen-driven vision for removing railroad crossings, revitalizing a neighborhood, and reusing the historic Rio Grande Depot. He previously worked for the Utah Transit Authority and is a daily commuter on TRAX, Salt Lake City's light rail system.

Dan, who also goes by Arnie, ran a coffee truck in Arnos Park , in North London, for eight and a half years. During that time, he built a strong sense of community with people who frequented the park. The truck closed at the end of 2025. Warning: This episode includes a brief description of someone dying by suicide.

Dustin Manker cycles on a daily basis as his primary way of commuting and exploring Chicago. On weekends, he enjoys participating in recreational group rides. Dustin is also part of a bicycle racing team, Indigo Cycling Chicago . He chronicles his experiences of cycling around the city on his YouTube channel, Dustin the Wind .

John Bauters served as a city council member in Emeryville, California, a dense suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area, from 2016 to 2024, including serving as mayor for part of that time. His work to transform Emeryville into a community that prioritized active transportation, housing, and environmental justice earned him the nickname "America's Bike Mayor."

Christophe Najdovski served as a Deputy Mayor of Paris from 2008 to 2026, first under Mayor Bertrand Delanoë and then under Mayor Anne Hidalgo. He played an instrumental role in helping to make Paris a greener and more pedestrian and bicycle-focused city.

Quemuel Arroyo is the Chief Accessibility Officer for New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He was previously the Chief Accessibility Specialist at the New York City Department of Transportation. Quemuel has both a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Design and History of Architecture from New York University.

Andy Gagliardi works on the Transit Performance and Technology team at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. He also has a YouTube channel about public transportation. Andy is interested in facilitating an increase in the amount of high-quality public transportation in the United States, in an effort to move away from automobile dependency.

Alex Montero is a Local Conversation lead at Strong Towns Chicago , a local chapter of Strong Towns , an organization that seeks to replace America’s postwar pattern of development, the Suburban Experiment, with a pattern of development that is financially strong and resilient. He is an urbanist nerd who loves walkable neighborhoods and public transit.

Courtney Cobbs is the Community Engagement Advisor and one of the founders of Better Streets Chicago , a grassroots transportation advocacy organization that believes better infrastructure and service is critical for Chicago to be a safer, more equitable, and more livable city. Courtney moved to Chicago for the opportunity to live car-free.

Eli Lipman is the Executive Director of Move LA , a Los Angeles-based organization that has built its success and reputation by addressing LA County’s need for a modern and efficient transit system. Their vision is to provide abundant, reliable and affordable multi-modal transportation options.

Ellen Harvey is a British-born, Brooklyn-based conceptual artist whose work ranges from guerilla street interventions to immersive institutional installations and large-scale public artworks. One of her exhibitions, The Disappointed Tourist , includes over 300 paintings of places nominated by members of the public in response to the question: “Is there some place that you would like to visit or re...

Damian Kevitt is the Executive Director of Streets Are For Everyone , a Los Angeles-based organization that advocates for safer streets in Southern California. He worked as a professional counselor for 25 years, prior to almost losing his life as a result of traffic violence in 2013.

Micheál Podgers is an urban planner with expertise in urban transportation planning, housing, and land-use. He is the Midwest Policy Lead for Climate Cabinet , a national organization that uses data science to support local leaders running in under-the-radar races with outsized climate impact.

Robin Pam co-founded KidSafe SF in 2021. The organization was founded on the belief that when we design our streets to be safe for kids, they’re safe for everyone. In 2025, KidSafe SF merged with Streets for All , a Los Angeles-based organization that advocates for people-first streets and walkable communities through better street design, protected bike lanes, and citywide standards.