Related to the thread about the Atlantic Cities article about culs-de-sac, I recently watched a decent documentary backgrounder on suburbia. Good phrasing to explain to the layperson. Interviews with Big Names from Brookings that we all know.
Synopsis:
"Suburban America: Problems & Promise"
Set in a wide array of suburbs and metropolitan areas around the United States, "Suburban America: Problems & Promise" presents a dynamic and thought-provoking exploration of suburbia, including its genesis and history, its dramatic political and social changes, as well as its developmental challenges and sustainable solutions.
This one-hour documentary, presented and distributed nationally by American Public Television (APT), airs on public TV stations nationwide beginning in September 2011 (check local listings).
Produced and directed by Emmy®-winning filmmaker Ron Rudaitis ("Farming the Future: Farm Life on Long Island," "The Puerto Ricans: Our American Story"), this absorbing film brings to light key issues and opportunities concerning the changing needs of America’s suburbs with the aim of helping to create more sustainable, economically viable metropolitan regions.
Both educational and inspirational, the documentary intercuts commentary from some of the nation’s top policy experts with engaging personal story arcs that present the dramatic shifts taking place in suburban America today — encompassing infrastructure, transportation, housing, economic development, environmental concerns and community revitalization.
"Suburban America: Problems & Promise" chronicles a pivotal local suburban race that parallels the 2008 Presidential election; profiles the first modern suburban community in Long Island, New York; charts the shifting suburban demographics with visits to Muslim-American, Latino and Asian-American communities; debunks the myths and stereotypical views of suburbia, and finally, highlights the best practices of regions that have addressed and solved some of the many developmental and structural challenges of suburbia today.
Not bad.
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