"Urbanized" Seeks To Chart The Future Of Planning

A.O. Scott reviews the final installment of Gary Hustwit's design trilogy, "Urbanized," and concludes that even those with a deep knowledge of urban planning are likely to learn something from the carefully selected images and interviews.

October 31, 2011, 2pm PDT | George Haugh

"Urbanized," is less focused on the history of planning than its future in dealing with challenges such as climate change and population growth. Scott argues that it favors a New Urbanist approach while dealing harshly with modernist follies like Phoenix, AZ., and Brasilia, Brazil.

"Mr. Hustwit relies more on the testimony of professionals than on the wisdom of ordinary people, but that is in keeping with the overall mood of the film, which is lively, curious and pedagogical. Like a really good class taught by a team of enthusiastic professors, "Urbanized" supplies grist for many late-night arguments or solitary ruminations. It is worth venturing out of your room, climbing on your bike or boarding a low-emissions bus and fighting your way through a crowd to see. "

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Gary Hustwit's "Urbanized"

Published on Thursday, October 27, 2011 in The New York Times