Film About Sprawl Opening in Ontario Mar 30 - Radiant City

[Civic]

Food for thought as discussion on Kingston's Official Plan changes continues in the coming months.


Film About Sprawl Opening in Ontario Mar 30 - Radiant City

"What is suburbia doing to the idea of citizenship - when we don't share public spaces and spend no time whatsoever in any kind of communion with our fellow citizens?"
-- Mark Kingwell, philosopher/author

Sprawl is eating the planet. Across the continent the landscape is being levelled - blasted clean of distinctive features and overlaid with a zombie-like monoculture. Politicians call it growth. Developers call it business. The Moss family calls it home. Welcome to Radiant City.

View the trailer at: www.radiantcitymovie.com

"Suburbs are the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world."
-- James Howard Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency and The Geography of Nowhere

In Radiant City, Gary Burns - Canada's king of surreal comedy - hooks up with journalist Jim Brown to tell an entertaining and startling family chronicle of the Late Suburban Age. A chorus of cultural prophets, urban designers, planners and architects provide insight on the spectacle. Stunning cinematography transforms drab suburbia into great painterly cloudscapes, mesmerizing rivers of traffic and eerie tableaux of dystopia, while the soundtrack features songs from Joey Santiago of The Pixies.

"Community becomes just a word in the overheated rhetoric of advertising for most of these developments. Community is shorthand for: cluster of houses with people inside them not talking to each other."
-- Mark Kingwell, philosopher and author of Better Living and The World We Want

Is your community being invaded by cookie-cutter developments and big box stores? Forest and farm bulldozed for housing pods and highway slabs? How do we balance growth with affordability and sustainability? And how the hell do we get out of our cars?

These questions are at the heart of Radiant City, a droll stroll into 21st century suburbia with a bitter twist.

[Lydia]

Hum, If the trailer is an example of what the movie is about, I would suggest that it isn't the neighbourhood but the PEOPLE in it the movie that are the problem.

Firstly, People who live in the centre of a city don't know their neighbours anymore than the people who live in the suburb.

From the look of the neighbourhood that is depicted in this movie, it must be a GUARDED community. In other words, the people in it are such pain in the necks that they don't value their neighbours or anyone they come in contact with. We actually have those types of communities in Canada. Just to let you know that NOT ALL GUARDED communities are like that but there are a few right here in Ontario.

Secondly, This movie doesn't depict the community minded suburbs at all. I have lived in various styles of dwellings and communities. Each has their advantage and disadvantages and that is why I am proud of this ENTIRE city.

Just maybe the people who are against cars should get off their backsides and work towards getting light rail or subway systems instead. Finally Kingston Transit which told us for several years that the big buses we have are just an economical to run as the smaller buses they are going to have now have told the truth.

If you are stuck in your home, don't know your neighbours; don't see anything but freeways, GET A LIFE. It isn't your neighbourhood it is YOU. Get involved with your neighbours, introduce yourselves, SMILE, join the clubs and sport areas and clubs, Go to Church, Go to Events.etc.
:mad:

Sorry folks, but I get a little ticked off when a place is MIS-represented.

[Dogma]

"Suburbs are the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world."

-- James Howard Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency and The Geography of Nowhere

Certainly, the latter quote has some truth to it. Geographers also call the suburbs - "the Green Desert".


The expense of roads, sewers, hydro and distance for work and home has a cost.

In fact; I would also suggest "society" in general with T.V, computer games, DVD movies and nannies including the divorce rate have all effect the "family & communities", the cohesive and more "dependent" western community members we had in the past generations., have been isolated and changed to be multicultural..and thus play daily and different family roles.

I also believe "consumerism" is the "social norm" for one to engage and (show) the class system with ones neighbours. i.e at the suburban mall.

Also the idea of (we are all the same) with the gated communities of white WASP's - and the male / female "roles" that are also played out (in my mind) is to protect the post war "values" of western ideology.

[Lydia]

When you speak of the expense of roads, sewers, hydro and distance for work and home, I would agree that there are hugh costs. However, I would also suggest that we have hugh costs no matter where we live.

Because of the times we are in, our society is adversly paying for having T.V, computer games, DVD movies and nannies including the divorce rate. We believe were are more highly educated, more advanced than other countries and in being so we have become isolated within our communities and families. Unfortunetely, we chose this where ever we live not just in suburbs.

I also agree that in the western cultures we have grown to believe that consumerism is the social norm and therefore we become isolated. We have grown to believe that we are better than our neighbours because of what we OWN. How sad, if only we would know it isn't what we possess but what our possessions and if we SHARE our fortune with others ie. neighbours, friends and family that make us great.

It isn't that we have possessions but that we had goals which we achieved by working towards our goals. You might be proud of your family's achievements but until you work towards your own, pride will never be yours.

There are only two kinds of people and they are very similiar. MEN AND WOMEN. Where we lived does not reflect values and worth. HOW YOU LIVE does. People everywhere can and should be proud of themselves.

When I was in my early 30s, I was always worried about how people in the ""Third World"" lived and how ""Poor they must be"". A Priets who was a Seminarian and lived in Peru, told me that with my attitude I was the Poor one. He explained that in Canada we have Material things but are very Poor of Spirit. In Peru, they might not have money or possessions but what ever they had they shared with one another. They were happy of spirit, they have family ties, they are not lonely.

IT ISN'T WHERE YOU LIVE BUT HOW YOU LIVE that matters. Has nothing to do with Urban, Suburban, Caves. lol lol etc.

[Dogma]

Lydia; I believe your suburban philosophy may have some merit.

And the one example of "spirit" verses economic "security" may seem like a wise statement. But, I must disagree.

I believe the marginalized of our society (our community) not 3rd world issues is the point here.

And that being said, I believe because of the "suburbanizing" or spreading out or urban sprawl, both because of low taxes for companies and the "idea" of owning your own home to raise your children, plus the isolating activities i.e. home video games and the "local" Rio Can World - in most suburban areas

All of these have contributed to the sense of homogenization of thinking, doing and being..with isolation, and the strengthening of the "provincial experience" - as most suburbia’s bring to the dinner table or conversation I have experienced. I also find paving over agricultural land and exclusive car use rather typical of suburban sprawl. The opportunities to support local business are also diminished by this geography of Green Deserts.

My sister for example (and many suburban folk) has never lived beyond this suburbia so called community, and likely never will.

Not just in relation to geography.. but in their close friends and activities - and have convinced many in that circle including her as "the real world". Especially, to raise children safer in, rather than anywhere else!

She (their) conversations revolve around (safe / gated "normal activities") such as the latest "DVD movie", or speaking about Costco deals and Winners fashion as it is her (their) salvation or ...local church visit. -i.e. "the best deal" this month and in some small way actually feels self-actualized". Spiritually!

Its no wonder if going to church (which) is frankly one of the foundations of community. Or use to be.
- is the "Spiritual and also connection to your neighbours" and community. Consumerism is now playing this role.

And this new mass (setup suburban "lifestyle") defines their lifestyle and their neighbours.

I again find it very difficult to interest myself with such narrow lifestles...not to say there are not many interesting and happy people "there" but.....

I do not wish to seem somehow "more interesting" or broader minded, but "they" seem to only bring to the table very little "life experience" in those communities. And especially their children. I see almost the same pattern of suburban life for them. Its all they know! Or worse all they WANT TO know.

And I should know, I have lived in both.