How can a commute become an energizing, community-affirming experience? Long commuting times are seen as one of the most robust predictors of social isolation. According to the political scientist Robert Putnam, every ten minutes spent commuting reduces a person’s social connections by ten percent.

Artist and poet Jon Cotner guided us with a combination of philosophical investigations, personal anecdotes, and spontaneous encounters so that we could explore how to turn commutes into occasions for joyful social engagement. The walks traced one of Jon Cotner’s own commutes—from Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, to Pratt Institute in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, and back again.