Of the three Gary Hustwit documentaries I've seen, this being the third and last, I thought Urbanized was the best by far. It's like a primer on the most-discussed issues of urbanism today. So while I can't say I learned much from the movie, Urbanized is a great introduction to this range of topics, and I'm supposed to know this stuff anyway as part of my profession. The visuals are also great: if you're an urbanism buff, you'll enjoy trying to figure out which city is being shown before the titles are given; the aerial views comparing cities are pretty spectacular; and there are some fun interviews with people around the world, including government officials in Santiago, Chile; Bogota, Colombia; and in New York City. I should warn the urbanism buffs, though, that you may get impatient sometimes with the pacing, since so much will already be familiar. But it's still worth a viewing. For everyone else, you will probably learn a lot, including some things that may be eye-opening about the way people live around the world and about the history of city development. Other topics covered include suburbia (think Phoenix); shrinking cities (think Detroit); exploding cities (think China); adaptive reuse (think New York City's High Line); energy use, environment, and climate change (think... well, everywhere, but especially New Orleans); and community involvement in urbanism. Overall, definitely recommended.
I spent a long time researching different local races and some of the ballot measures here in Santa Clara County. In case you're on the fence or want some further information to guide your voting, I've compiled my thoughts here. Selection Methodology I have three tiers for selecting candidates. 1. Alignment on Issues: I will choose the candidate who is most closely aligned with me on the issues I think are important. 2. Experience and Education: All other things being equal, I will choose the candidate who has the most knowledge of what is required for the position, either through education, previous experience, or active participation in similar positions. 3. Women and Minorities: All other things being equal (#1 and #2 above), I will choose candidates who are women or minorities in order to increase the diversity of voices of our elected officials. It's my own personal form of affirmative action. The Issues We're fortunate enough to live in a place
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