Saving Our Cities/Saving the Land: New Urbanism Film Festival

Props to Heather at Urban Compass for this one. Springfield's loss (well, she still does a bang-up job on Springfield) is our gain. She's flagged me down to a special film series at the New Haven Museum & Historical Society called Saving Our Cities/Saving the Land: New Urbanism Film Festival

Thursday evenings - 5:30-7:30 pm
January 17, 24, 31 February 7, 21, 28, 2008
No charge for films, Refreshments available for purchase
Pre-registration guarantees a seat
Snow dates are the following Tuesdays

Come in from the cold this winter and explore some of the critical issues facing our communities. For six weeks in January and February we will feature films, commentary and lively discussion as we “travel” across the country in search of answers to the challenge of urban sprawl, community alienation, clogged transportation, the loss of independent commerce and the corresponding threats to precious historical resources. Find communities looking for new ways to come together, define their neighborhoods and fight the Big Box.

Connecticut has been facing the problem of city versus town since colonial days, resulting in 169 governmental entities with great independent spirit but little interconnectedness. How do we come together? How do our communities maintain a sense of identity in an increasingly homogenized world? What about our cities? A century ago they were the engines of the industrial age. But what is their role now and in the future?

The issues facing us here are being addressed by communities across the nation. At each of our evening programs commentators will lead discussions that will bring the challenges home and help us rethink the "American Dream."

Films:

January 17: Connecticut and Its Cities: Three Centuries of Change (Part 1) Our introductory film explores the forces that created Connecticut’s cities and surrounding small towns, how they grew and what happened when industry moved on.

January 24th: Taken For a Ride Public transportation shaped urban communities, offering citizens easy transportation and driving the development of downtown shopping and commercial districts. This changed in the 1930s through a sweeping campaign by GM to buy and dismantle the streetcars across the country.

January 31: Subdivide: Isolation and Community in America What is life like in contemporary suburbia? Follow this personal study of isolation and the struggle to find community in an era of careless development.

February 7: Suburbia: The Good Life in Connecticut? Learn how suburban ideals and myths influence our views on privacy, education, safety and the future of Connecticut’s urban centers.

February 21: Independent America Follow the filmmakers on a transcontinental journey through 32 states in search of “Independent America.” Hear from hardy souls fighting for the right to remain independent in a land smothered by Big Box stores and fast-food chains.

February 28: Save Our Land/Save Our Towns Join us for this voyage of discovery as we see how cities can be rebuilt and countrysides preserved from stripmalls and subdivisions.

Not sure how many of these I can get down to, but I'd love to see them all. Good find!