The Ten Town That Changed America Analysis
In the documentary, “The ten Town That Changed America” Geoffrey Baer illustrates the evolution of ten popular cities that changed the image of America. Done in chronological order, the documentary explores how visionary citizens combined urban planning, design, and architecture to develop these US cities and change the way people lived. These are planners who had a passion and great insights for urban development. Although driven by different inspirations and motivations, they had a common goal; to build an environment that would change the way people live in America.
Top of the list is St. Augustine, which happens to be the oldest colonial town in the United States, as well as the first planned city, and the first to use the “grid” as a settlement …show more content…
However, things changed when the federal government’s urban renewal program cleared dilapidated housing conditions to build new ones. The program ushered in seasonal urban planners and architects, whose modernist ideas replaced Southwest’s old streets and alleys with superblocks of new high rises, and modernist town homes. As the state capital, the project drew much attention and the trend began to spread to other cities across the nation. Also, in Seaside, Florida, Robert Davis turned an inherited 80 acres of undeveloped brush into a neighborly community and walkable distance houses - as opposed to post-war suburbs. With the help of a young Miami architect firm, he created different types of single-family, townhomes, and apartments. Branded as the new Urbanism, it continues to have a big impact on urban planning across the U.S.
Lastly, Pearl, Portland -Oregon, used to be a no man’s land and uninhabitable until the Portland planning commission came up with a mantra to develop the area and preserve old industrial buildings. Pearl district became a community designed around public transit, with small blocks and beautiful narrow streets - something entirely new in Portland. This attracted new developers and thousands of new residential units came out of there. More than 6000 people now lived in an area considered
Top of the list is St. Augustine, which happens to be the oldest colonial town in the United States, as well as the first planned city, and the first to use the “grid” as a settlement …show more content…
However, things changed when the federal government’s urban renewal program cleared dilapidated housing conditions to build new ones. The program ushered in seasonal urban planners and architects, whose modernist ideas replaced Southwest’s old streets and alleys with superblocks of new high rises, and modernist town homes. As the state capital, the project drew much attention and the trend began to spread to other cities across the nation. Also, in Seaside, Florida, Robert Davis turned an inherited 80 acres of undeveloped brush into a neighborly community and walkable distance houses - as opposed to post-war suburbs. With the help of a young Miami architect firm, he created different types of single-family, townhomes, and apartments. Branded as the new Urbanism, it continues to have a big impact on urban planning across the U.S.
Lastly, Pearl, Portland -Oregon, used to be a no man’s land and uninhabitable until the Portland planning commission came up with a mantra to develop the area and preserve old industrial buildings. Pearl district became a community designed around public transit, with small blocks and beautiful narrow streets - something entirely new in Portland. This attracted new developers and thousands of new residential units came out of there. More than 6000 people now lived in an area considered