This month’s film is Green Towns USA: A New Deal. Planned and built near major cities in the 1930s as alternatives to inner city slums, Greenbelt, Maryland, Greenhills, Ohio, and Greendale, Wisconsin were Depression-era experiments in federally-directed suburban planning. But when the federal government withdrew its support, each of these towns had to make it on its own. The planning principles involved, the effectiveness of the solutions, and the state of the towns today are the subject of this documentary by June Finfer. The story in this documentary is told by Glory Southwind, president of the National New Deal Preservation Association, who grew up in one of the towns.
This documentary was one of the most popular films exhibited at last year’s Utopia Film Festival and is being shown again by popular demand as part of the Utopia Film Festival kickoff in partnership with Reel and Meal at the New Deal.
It is fascinating to see what our sister cities have in common with Greenbelt, how they developed differently and the particular challenges they face now. We hope to have some of the Greenbelters that appeared in the film as part of a panel discussion following the viewing. For more information contact Steve Kane at .
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