Urban design is an important part of our everyday lives. Good urban design can help connect communities and build relationships that impact the prosperity of a place. The Human Scale movie examines challenges faced by cities around the world as they balance growth while also trying to improve people’s quality of life.
What can your city do to help foster connections to the people and places around you?
A big Thank You to everyone who visited us for movie night at the Taoh Outdoor Gallery! We are so proud to support the grassroots efforts of the Taoh Team, who have brought a place to life here in Charlotte. Please consider supporting them and their work by sharing it with your friends and family and making a donation toward their operating costs. We hope you enjoyed the screening of The Human Scale. If you are interested in the themes of this movie and would like to learn more, please see the media recommendations below. Do you have any thoughts you would like to share? Email us!
Urban Design
Happy City
Exploring how good city design impacts our lives, this book references several impactful works in the field of urban design, including several by Jan Gehl.
Charles Montgomery, 2013
Happy City is available for purchase through the publisher.
Want it at your library? Request it!
Streets Reimagined
Streetfight
Who are cities for? In this book, the fight for New York’s streets takes center stage, as government officials navigate ways to open up more space in the city for people.
Janette Sadik-Khan & Seth Solomonow, 2017
Streetfight is available for purchase through the publisher.
Want it at your library? Request it!
Human response to disasters
A Paradise Built in Hell
In reflecting on the aftermath of disasters, people often recall a profound sense of community and purposefulness. This book explores this phenomenon and its impact on society.
Rebecca Solnit, 2010
A Paradise Built in Hell is available at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library!
Another (great!) documentary on city design
Urbanized
This documentary interviews practitioners in several urban-related fields to help understand how modern city design can help improve our quality of life. It presents the argument that the best city design comes from collaboration and ground-up initiatives.
Directed by Gary Hustwit, 2011
Check out Urbanized through Kanopy, just use your CML library card!
If you have any questions or would like additional book recommendations, please reach out to us!