Urbanized

   In 2005 I began work on my first documentary, Helvetica, which looked at the worlds of typography and graphic design through the eyes of one loved/hated/ubiquitous little font. I wasn't a designer, or even a filmmaker, just a design geek who really wanted to see a movie about fonts! After Helvetica was released in 2007, I had the idea for a second film, Objectified, which focused on industrial design and product design, and our relationship with the manufactured objects that surround us. But I realized there was more to explore, and had the initial ideas for a third film that would also examine how design affects our lives. So I began thinking of the films as a "design trilogy".

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. I've teamed up once again with cinematographer Luke Geissbuhler, and we've been traveling around the world interviewing people and filming specific urban design projects that represent the issues facing cities today. The world's population is in the midst of a massive migration to urban areas, and the design solutions our cities implement in the next 20 years will be critical.