From Planetizen (visit their site for three sample clips):
In planning circles, it is fashionable to debate the merits or drawbacks of the spread of suburban living that happened in the 20th century. What isn’t up for debate is that it happened- that from the early '40s until the beginning of the 21st century, the American pattern of development changed radically.
This 2-disc set is an unprecedented visual document of how sprawl happened, told through a series of historic films ranging from 1939's The City, created by famed planner Lewis Mumford, to No Time For Ugliness from 1965, produced by the American Institute of Architects.
To get a modern perspective on what these films represent, we’ve recorded commentary tracks for each video with noted planners and authors. You can watch the films on their own, or with the voice of a noted expert guiding you through, including:
- Prof. Robert Cervero, UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design
- Duncan Crary of the KunstlerCast
- Andrés Duany, DPZ Associates
- Anthony Flint, author of The Battle Over Sprawl and the Future of America.
- Jacky Grimshaw, The Center for Neighborhood Technology
- James Howard Kunstler, author of The Geography of Nowhere
- Prof. Jackie Leavitt, UCLA's Dept. of Urban Planning.
- Prof. Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, UCLA's Dept. of Urban Planning.
- John Norquist, President of the Congress for New Urbanism.
- Neal Pierce, Citistates Group.
- Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, DPZ Associates.
- Mark D. Van Ells, author of To Hear Only Thunder Again: America's World War II Veterans Come Home.
My DVDs arrived the other day and we watched a couple of the films. It is a little strange talk overs but interesting none the less.
Posted by: Dave Reid | May 06, 2009 at 07:08 PM