City Dweller

Brian Peterman and his wife took advantage of a pilot program in Chicago that allows for the creation of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in designated zones within the city. After nearly two years of planning, working through regulatory hurdles, and construction, they completed a coach house in their backyard. In 2023, Brian's mother-in-law moved into the coach house, allowing her to spend time with her young granddaughter on a daily basis.

Popularly known as Gridlock Sam, thanks to his coining of the term, Sam founded Sam Schwartz Consulting in 1995. Previously, he was New York City's Traffic Commissioner and Chief Engineer of the Department of Transportation. Sam started his transportation career in the late 1960’s as a New York cabbie and joined the Traffic Department as a junior engineer in 1971.

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 books include the national best-seller Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk and the novel Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey

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 of Michigan Avenue.

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.