Not everyone can decide to make a documentary about a font and turn into something truly compelling, but filmmaker Gary Hustwit did just that with his debut film “Helvetica” in 2007. He followed it up two years later with “Objectified” about the world of industrial design and the director has announced a brand new project that should hit screens next year.
“Urbanized” will complete the trilogy of Hustwit’s design based films, and as you might guess from the title, it will focus on urban design. Production is already underway and the film will premiere in 2011. Huswit will work once again with cinematographer Luke Geissbuhler and expect the big names of the urban design world to appear on camera. Yeah, we’re not familiar with that scene at all, but considering Hustwit managed to wrangle Apple’s designers for “Objectified” there should be no worry that his latest film will be lacking in influential voices.
Hustwit announced the project on his website where he will continue to provide updates as the film nears completion. After the jump, read an excerpt of Hustwit’s details on what viewers can expect from his newest film:
The third documentary in this trilogy is about the design of cities. ‘Urbanized’ looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design, featuring some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. Over half the world’s population now lives in an urban area, and 75% will call a city home by 2050. But while some cities are experiencing explosive growth, others are shrinking. The challenges of balancing housing, mobility, public space, civic engagement, economic development, and environmental policy are fast becoming universal concerns. Yet much of the dialogue on these issues is disconnected from the public domain.
Who is allowed to shape our cities, and how do they do it? Unlike many other fields of design, cities aren’t created by any one specialist or expert. There are many contributors to urban change, including ordinary citizens who can have a great impact improving the cities in which they live. By exploring a diverse range of urban design projects around the world, ‘Urbanized’ will frame a global discussion on the future of cities.
