With Helvetica, director Gary Hustwit zeroed in on an iconic typeface, and with Objectified he panned out to look at the realm of industrial and product design. In a kind of Powers of Ten move of his own, his latest documentary goes macro: Urbanized — screening Tuesday, Oct. 4, at the Walker — completes his design trilogy with a look at city design.
A global investigation into how we plan and use shared space, the film includes interviews with three dozen design thinkers, policy makers and city planners, including Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, New York City planning director Amanda Burden, New Orleans–based artist Candy Chang, 103-year old Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and activist Sheela Patel, who advocates for “pavement dwellers” in Mumbai, among others. Considering the context of a planet that by 2050 will have 75 percent of its residents living in cities, the film looks at mounting concerns worldwide about mobility, housing, economic development and environmental policy.
Screenings:
October 4, 6:30 pm, followed by a Q & A with Hustwit
October 4, 9:00 pm