American Suburbia Season 4

Synopsis

Changes are essential to progress even if there is a price to be paid. Learn the consequences of living in modern housing schemes-isolation and frustration. We also focus on the benefits of housing schemes, the need to replace slums with modern homes and the hope that proper planning would prevent problems in the future. See the long-term benefits of industries and consequences of modernization.

Main Cast

Episodes

Episode 1

01 June 2005 - The City

A pioneering short documentary film from 1939 that contrasts the problems of the contemporary urban environment with the superior social and physical conditions that can be provided in a planned community.

Episode 2

01 June 2005 - For The Living

Improvement of living conditions in 1940s New York City through the construction of public housing. Though ultimately a plug for the New York City Housing Authority, this film begins as a "story about a city -- this city."

Episode 3

01 June 2005 - Cities How They Grow

A study of our increasing urban population. Departing from the usual statistics and the sociological problems which are a result of the cities' growth, we learn that by observing what the workers of the city do, we can find out why the city grew. Producer: Encyclopaedia Britannica Films. Length: 00:09:08. Audio: Mono. Color: BLACK & WHITE.

Episode 4

01 June 2005 - New Neighbor

Building a steel mill from scratch and a city for its workers (Levittown, Pa.). Producer: Jam Handy Organization. Sponsor: U.S. Steel Co. Year: 1953. Length: 00:24:51. Audio: Mono. Color: BLACK & WHITE.

Episode 5

01 June 2005 - The Dynamic American City

Advocates urban redevelopment and renewal, 1950s-style. Supports many planning strategies which are criticized today: the destruction of "blighted" neighborhoods in the name of progress, autocentric planning and construction, and suburban sprawl. Producer: Baskaw (Frederick J). Sponsor: Chamber of Commerce of the United States.

Episode 6

01 June 2005 - Community Growth: Crisis & Challenge

Home builders decry unplanned suburban sprawl, 1950s-style. Sponsor: Urban Land Institute, National Association of Home Builders. Year: 1959. Length: 00:16:01. Audio: Mono. Color.

Crew

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