A new Canadian documentary tackling suburban sprawl is as generic as the subdivisions it criticizes, says the Globe & Mail's Trevor Boddy.
"Among the many documentaries at this year's Vancouver International Film Festival is an 86 minute feature that takes on one of the most important issues before our cities: suburban sprawl. The distractingly named Radiant City was jointly written and directed by feature director Gary Burns (Kitchen Party, A Problem With Fear), and CBC radio talking head Jim Brown, both of Calgary -- Canada's largest city by area, and a place that knows something about sprawl.
The [film's] critique of suburbia here is generic, maybe too much so, with the film-makers rounding up a squad of talking heads, planting them beside freeways, in schoolyards, and alongside real estate billboards that could be anywhere, then letting them rip.
Among Radiant City's opinionizers are American urban journalist William (sic)Howard Kunstler, Calgary architecture school head Marc Boutin, even the terminally over-exposed Toronto philosopher of everything, Mark Kingwell.
Pointedly, the film does not show the too-cute, mock-New England Calgary suburb of Mackenzie Towne -- for which he and wife Elizabeth Playter-Zyberk provided the initial idea fifteen years ago. If the future of suburbia is mild versions, like Mackenzie Towne, of New London, Connecticut or other faves from Duany and Zyberk's student days at Princeton, we are in real trouble indeed."
FULL STORY: A sprawling documentary of our times
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
San Diego Votes to Rein in “Towering” ADUs
City council voted to limit the number of units in accessory buildings to six — after confronting backyard developments of up to 100 units behind a single family home.
Texas Legislature’s Surprising Pro-Housing Swing
Smaller homes on smaller lots, office to apartment conversions, and 40% less say for NIMBYs, vote state lawmakers.
Even Edmonton Wants Single Staircase Buildings
Canada's second most affordable major city joins those angling to nix the requirement for two staircases in multi-family buildings.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)