City Dweller

Kathleen Rooney is an author and a self-described flaneuse who loves to explore Chicago and other cities on foot. She is a founding editor of Rose Metal Press, a nonprofit publisher, as well as a founding member of Poems While You Wait, a team of poets and their typewriters who compose commissioned poetry on demand. Kathleen teaches in the English Department at DePaul University, and her recent bo...

Samantha Anderson graduated earlier this year from the University of Chicago with a Master of Public policy degree. She was part of the team that won the 2025 Harris Public Policy Innovation Challenge, Creating A Thriving Downtown Chicago . Their proposal, Activating the Cultural Mile: Prioritizing Culture and Connectivity to Revitalize Downtown Chicago, includes the idea of pedestrianizing part o...

Emily Jabbour has served since 2017 as a Councilperson at Large in Hoboken, New Jersey. In 2025, she is running for Mayor of Hoboken , a city that houses over 50,000 residents in just over one square mile of land.

Ollie lives in Manchester, England, and he makes videos about the history of Manchester and the North of England on his YouTube channel, Bee Here Now . Ollie's videos focus on seeing history from the perspective of those that actually made it, ordinary people, not those who reaped the benefits and the fame.

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 chil...

Chris Denham has been a railway enthusiast since childhood. He is the Senior Media Relations Manager for Network 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 perfo...

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 Fam...

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 .