Production has concluded for the new Gary Hustwit-helmed design documentary Urbanized. The film is the last entry in Hustwit’s so-called “Design Trilogy”, which also includes the much-loved Helvetica, an 80-minute long film extolling the typeface’s merits and contributions to the world, and Objectified, an ambitious history of how standardization begat industrial design. Urbanized completes the documentary series with a big jump in scale with an investigation of the design of cities. How are cities formed and what are, if any, the strategies which guide the growth and movements? Click through for more info!

The film surveys several urban design projects ranging from America’s Heartland to Beijing and Rio. Along the way Hustwit meets with notable architects, planners, policymakers, developers, thinkers, and, most importantly, citizens (see the full roster here). As Hustwit himself says, “There are many contributors to urban change, including ordinary citizens who can have a great impact improving the cities in which they live.”

Sure, you’ll see Rem scowl and Niemeyer’s endearing smile, jet set around the world, and be walked through beautifully photographed projects. But, hopefully, you’ll come away with some insight of the depth, complexity, and ambiguity of the design of our cities and urban environments.

Urbanized will make its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in a month, which it will then follow with a screening at Urban Design Week in New York on September 20th. For more info about screening and how to buy tickets, click here. In the meantime, you can get your urbanism fix here.

by Samuel Medina

posted in New Projects Uncategorized Video news

tagged documentary, gary hustwit, Helvetica, Objectified, urbanism, urbanized

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