City Discussions Video Thread

[M II A II R II K]

A new film explores the impact of urban light pollution on humans and the natural environment, and calls on designers and planners to revise the way our cities are lit. "The City Dark" is a new film by Ian Cheney. This piece from Urban Omnibus looks at its theme and lessons.





Trailer: http://www.thecitydark.com/#/Trailer

[tayser]

pretty sweet timelapse video of a day in Melbourne:

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[M II A II R II K]

http://ciudadnazca.net/ "Nazca City" is a land art project, the drawing of a true scale map of an imaginary city onto the surface of the Peruvian desert. To do this we built a robot which moves autonomously, plowing the ground to uncover its underlying color. Because of its scale, the map can only be appreciated as a whole from certain a height by means of airplains or satellite imaging.

The project is inspired by the gigantic figures drawn onto the desert by the ancient Nazca culture (200 BC - 600 AD), which can still be seen today. It invites to reflect upon the explosive urbanization of the deserts of the Peruvian coast, taking place since the middle of the last century, and its consequences on environmental sustainability and the quality of living.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=sGqKHL863eQ" target="_blank">Video Link

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• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwEYYI-AGWs" target="_blank">Video Link

[animatedmartian]

Documentary on promoting bike riding in Detroit.

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(I feel like I have deja vu about posting this already. Hope Im not double posting the same thing.)

[M II A II R II K]

The Antelope Valley is a vast patch of desert on the outskirts of Los Angeles County, and a segment of the few rugged individualists who live out there increasingly are finding themselves the targets of armed raids from local code enforcement agents, who've assembled into task forces called Nuisance Abatement Teams (NATs).

The plight of the Valley's desert dwellers made regional headlines when county officials ordered the destruction of Phonehenge: a towering, colorful castle constructed out of telephone poles by retired phone technician Kim Fahey. Fahey was imprisoned and charged with several misdemeanors.

But Fahey is just one of many who've been targeted by the NATs, which were assembled at the request of County Supervisor Mike Antonovich in 2006. LA Weekly reporter Mars Melnicoff wrote an in-depth article in which she exposed the county's tactic of badgering residents with minor, but costly, code violations until they face little choice but to vacate the land altogether.

"They're picking on the the people who are the most defenseless and have the least resources," says Melnicoff.

.....

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw3RiMdS7sE" target="_blank">Video Link

[THE BIG APPLE]

Rabwah is a small but peaceful city in Pakistan home to the most peace loving and law abiding citizens you'll ever find on this planet. Rabwah is populated 99% by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. It is one of the most serene places you'll find on earth, and perhaps the best small town on earth populated by people who believe in one motto "LOVE FOR ALL, HATRED FOR NONE".

Here is a documentary about the amazing city of Rabwah.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyZNM...yer_detailpage" target="_blank">Video Link

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=5paKeyeijbY" target="_blank">Video Link

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrkji...er_profilepage" target="_blank">Video Link

[animatedmartian]

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[amor de cosmos]

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[M II A II R II K]

A group of unassuming residential towers in Oslo’s Grorud Valley neighborhood have been transformed into the stars of Cold Mailman’s music video “Time is of the essence” directed by André Chocron.

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[animatedmartian]

A short NYT film with oral history from New Yorkers days after 9/11 played over shots of modern day New York.

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[Wigs]

BUFFALO: All The City's A Stage
An interesting video on the vibrant theatre community of Buffalo, NY
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[sobchbud1]

Originally Posted by VisionMIA

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VisionMia from SSC found this video originally. It's worth posting here. It captures the sights and sounds at a frenetic pace with some famous Miami music (although the "New York" remake for Miami sucks unbelievably and almost ruins it). Some fabulous skyline, hotel, and nightclub shots included... along with a few bikinis.

[M II A II R II K]

Chuck Marohn, the executive director of Strong Towns, explains the difference between a road, which is a connection to two place and a street, which is a network of activity. He stresses the importance of returning roads to towns for community and economic development.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XRjatW_N9M" target="_blank">Video Link

[M II A II R II K]

Timelapses

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fu3MkvC3w0" target="_blank">Video Link

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[M II A II R II K]

Urbanized is a feature-length documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. Over half the world's population now lives in an urban area, and 75% will call a city home by 2050. But while some cities are experiencing explosive growth, others are shrinking. The challenges of balancing housing, mobility, public space, civic engagement, economic development, and environmental policy are fast becoming universal concerns. Yet much of the dialogue on these issues is disconnected from the public domain.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=5uGNk4KlbgA" target="_blank">Video Link

[M II A II R II K]

This excellent video shows how new urbanist/progressive planning ideas have permeated the redevelopment of the South Bronx, the poster child for urban decay in the last quarter of the 20th Century. It's also nice to see The New York Times architectural criticism move away from a fetish of the artsy, avant garde to cover real issues.

My favorite quote, from city planning director Amanda Burden: "Housing is jobs. Housing is for the construction industry. Housing is bringing people to the city. We have hundreds of thousands of people coming here each year. They are coming to fulfill their dream. They are coming to climb the ladder. They need a place to live."

The New York Times

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc2Jv8_A3fE" target="_blank">Video Link

[M II A II R II K]

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e5mivkXmsc" target="_blank">Video Link

[M II A II R II K]

Coachella Valley: One of the Poorest, Densest Areas in the U.S. This video from California Watch, produced by Carrie Ching, follows resident Ana Sanchez as she explains life in the Coachella Valley.

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[M II A II R II K]

The subtitle for "Creativity and the Capitalist City: The Struggle for Affordable Space in Amsterdam" is critical for understanding the focus of this interesting new independent release from German filmmaker and urbanist Tino Buchholz. At its core, the movie is about the struggle to keep Amsterdam affordable in the face of steady gentrification. Policymakers there have taken to heart Richard Florida's famed maxim about the link between the so-called "creative class" and regional economic development, transforming it into housing, redevelopment and cultural economic policy. But Buchholz realizes that this is only one piece of Amsterdam's transformation.

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