Does zoning keep suburbs unwalkable
In the case study of Brasília, it was shown how architects built the most aesthetically pleasing buildings and lay out the finest of plans – but all of this work was ultimately pointless as the resulting city lacked a human-scale experience at ground level and wasn’t comfortable for the average resident. The importance of community input as part of the design process is emphasized many times throughout the film. Slums in India exemplify what happens without proper planning They warn that the new wave of megacities being built in China and India should not aim to copy designs from 20 th-century America, as this would be disastrous for both their own people and the global climate situation. The interviewees explain that mass migration into cities result in slums by default (given limited housing and facilities), and it takes consistent and concerted efforts to avoid this fate. Notably, there are cities that are on the decline (e.g., Detroit) which have their own unique problems to solve, but these are the exceptions in the film. Cities inexorably attract people seeking economic opportunities, and hence they will continue to grow as long as sufficient opportunities are readily attainable. The film begins with a broad overview of how our world has been rapidly urbanizing, with no slowdown in sight over the next century. Ultimately, it concedes that the challenges of urban design are immense, but innovative approaches co-designed between planners and their communities are promising and should be celebrated.
Does zoning keep suburbs unwalkable how to#
It engages in discussions about mass migration into cities, how community-driven design can lead to better outcomes, the democratization of transportation away from auto-centric planning, transformations of historical infrastructure, and how to make public spaces more attractive and livelier.
Does zoning keep suburbs unwalkable series#
Urbanized is a documentary film that explores modern urban design and how it shapes the lives of people around the world, primarily through a series of stories and interviews with prominent practitioners in the field. Overall, I found it to be an excellent (and visually stunning) primer on contemporary urban planning principles for those not familiar with the field. Hence, I’m writing up a brief synopsis and some main takeaways from the film, so I don’t forget it again.