URBANIZED, directed by Gary Hustwit ( also directed HELVETICA and OBJECTIFIED) is an exiting look at the design of cities, the art of urban design and a glimpse at what is predicted for the future of cities in different parts of the world. Huge cities are predicted in the  future. URBANIZED begins with a montage of urban landscapes, the magic of cities across the planet. Cities grow where commerce is natural. Some cities, like many in Europe, have been designed in a specific way. Many American cities evolved without a plan and now face certain types of problems. The documentary takes you to urban environments across the globe exploring issues facing urban design and urban life. The evolution and design of many cities has not always made them livable spaces for human beings. The film looks into both the design and social realities of urban life.

URBANIZED is part of a trilogy of documentary films, HELVETICA, OBJECTIFIED and URBANIZED, all about design of some kind. URBANIZED “looks at specific issues that face all cities,” according to director, Gary Hustwit. These issues are: housing, mobility, public spaces, sustainability and other subjects.  In a “director’s statement” Hustwit writes: “I didn’t start these films with a thesis or agenda, they’ve really been explorations into subjects I’m curious about.” He claims he lets the people he interviews “talk about what they thought was important.”  Before starting production on URBANIZED his research consisted of talking to architects, city planners, academics and developers. He went to conferences about urban issues and gathered information about the current state of cities. He shot conversations with people on the subject for two and a half years.

The documentaries throughness demonstrates the benefits of Hustwit’s research. Notable individuals involved in the design and planning of cities present their views on certain cities, architecture, approaches to design and what makes cities livable or not so livable.  Hustwit’s approach employs a hybrid cinema verite narrative structure that allows you to examine issues and form your own opinions and conclusions. This type of structure presents many ideas from a number of sources.  The overall experience  is informative and pragmatic.

The theme of all three of Hustwit’s documentaries is design and how it affects human life. In HELVETICA it was the amazing story of a typeface, it’s longevity and ongoing influence around the world.  In OBJECTIFIED it was the design of manufactured objects and industrial design impact on the environment. In URBANIZED the design of cities where, as of 2010, fifty percent of the world population now lives, is the focus.  Mumbai, India in 2011 has a population of approximately 13,000,000.  The slum area in Mumbai has a larger population than all of London, England according to the documentary. Architects and planners in India discuss the problems and unwanted expansion of the slum areas when the documentary visits Mumbai. Facts like how to deal with overcrowding where there are six hundred people per toilet in a given area are flushed out.

The documentary visits other cities like Bogotá, Columbia where many progressive design ideas have reshaped a city, like many in north and south America that grew around the automobile for transportation. Instead of catering to this notion, Bogotá began redesigning the urban landscape to accommodate people first.  A number of innovations are shown including people oriented mass transit and making the use of bicycles people friendly.  In Bogotá the bicycle paths are paved and separate from what still are dirt roads next to them. Copenhagen is another city where the use of bicycles for personal transportation has been successful, with side benefit of reducing carbon emissions.

The concept of urban sprawl is looked at in the city of Phoenix, Arizona known for this condition. Once again an urban area built around using the automobile for personal transportation has resulted in causing problems for individuals and the community. URBANIZED looks at how New York City, was subdivided by a huge network of highways starting in the 1950’s. You learn how Jane Jacobs, a journalist, helped to stop much of Greenwich Village from being destroyed by development and urban renewal.

URBANIZED visits cities from Beijing, China to Brasilia in Brazil; from Khayelitsha, South Africa to US cities of Detroit and New Orleans; cities with different issues and different approaches to dealing with their problems are looked at. One important thing about this documentary is that each there is no third party comparing one cities problems’ to others. The POV is from the inside looking out as far as the design of each city and what it’s planners and designers are doing.  In some cases, like the renovation of the Hi Line in Manhattan, NYC, it’s community action that resolves design problems by coming up with innovative community responses. Many other cities are included in this urban trek around the world.

URBANIZED is a documentary that you will want to watch more than once. It’s a wonderful, educational, at times entertaining trip to cities around the world offering a glimpse into humanities need for community and the ongoing connection between design and urban living.

REVIEW BY J R MARTIN director of Emmy nominated, Wrapped In Steel a documentary about the Industrial community  on the Southeast side of Chicago and Emmy award winning Fired-up- Public Housing Is My Home, both documentaries aired nationally on PBS. AUTHOR CREATE DOCUMENTARY FILMS, VIDEOS AND MULTIMEDIA — See other documentary reviews by J R Martin at http://www.jrmartinmedia.com/reviews

TRAILER URBANIZED