City Dweller

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 revisit that no longer exists?”