To spend time on the USC campus is to witness a New Urbanist’s dream come true — pedestrians and bicyclists and skateboarders moving from place to place, with only the occasional electric cart, or security or delivery car or truck, present as well. USC Annenberg students, faculty and staff remain in the vanguard of alternative transportation efforts. The “Visit” page on the school’s website leads with information about the Metro Expo Line and includes bicycling directions and bike rack locations. Communication professor François Bar and a coalition of local groups previously produced a South Los Angeles bicycling map. In the most recent two issues of this magazine, Neftalie Williams (MPD ’14) shared his photos of USC Annenberg student trips to Brazil (Summer 2014) and Cuba (Winter 2013).

This time, we commissioned Williams to shoot a series of profiles that are likewise about travel — but to destinations much closer to home. The resulting images were taken during a two-day stretch this Fall, in Wallis Annenberg Hall’s Digital Lounge.

By the way, in skateboard nomenclature, the “deck” is the part of the board where the rider stands. Cosmo Scharf (Videographer, Center on Public Diplomacy '16) Heidi Carreon (B.A. Print Digital Journalism '17) Issac Moody (M.A. Annenberg Specialized Journalism '15)