Sandy Johnston is a student in the Master’s of Regional Planning program at the University at Albany, concentrating in Transportation and planning to complete a certificate in Urban Policy as well. He arrived in Albany after living previously in Portland, OR; a small town in Iowa; New Haven, CT; Chicago; Jerusalem; and New York City, and so considers himself well-versed in different kinds of urban forms and personalities. Intending to embark on a career in public transit planning, Sandy’s interests include the political economy of transit, transit-oriented development, freight rail, and affordable development; he also admits an interest in Art Deco architecture. His research project will explore the political forces behind the building of transit infrastructure, comparing Philadelphia’s Center City Commuter Connection with a more recent light-rail system in the US. Sandy has previously interned at the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago, and can be found blogging at www.itineranturbanist.wordpress.com and on Twitter @sandypsj.