City Dweller

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...

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 infrastructure 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 expre...

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 transporta...

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 lo...

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 .