Review of “King Coal” in Planning Magazine

The film paints the rise and fall of the coal industry with broad strokes. In the 1930s, over 140,000 people were directly employed in mining in West Virginia. The industry fueled the regional economy and the expansion of manufacturing, transportation, and urbanization across the country and around the world. Today, fewer than 12,000 of these jobs remain, but the region remains steadfastly loyal to its roots. Told partly through the perspective of two young girls growing up in the shadow of “King Coal,” the film leaves the viewer to ponder not just the past but also the future of this industry, lifestyle, and culture.

See the full review in Planning Magazine.

(please share! all is takes is one quick click...)

Review of “Concrete Utopia”

Concrete Utopia is a thrilling ride with real personal drama and deep insights into both human nature and the communities we build, all presented in a visually stunning and surprisingly fun package. Bonus: it has one of the most uplifting endings of any disaster film ever made, through a stroke of filmmaking genius that will literally change the way you look at the world.

See the full review in Planning Magazine.

(please share! all is takes is one quick click...)

An Elemental Tour of New Environmental Docs

My latest “Plan to Watch” column in Planning takes you on an Earth, Air, Fire, and Water “Elemental Tour” of hopeful environmental documentaries.

[I]n preparing for this column, I watched dozens of pessimistic environmental documentaries — enough to rattle even the most optimistic planner. But buried within all this footage of habitat destruction, toxic waste, and environmental collapse, I found a few encouraging signs, like crocuses popping up in the spring: the rare gems that begin with problems and end with solutions.

Th films include Brave Blue World (solutions to the water crisis, narrated by Matt Damon), Kiss the Ground (secret: the soil is actually alive!), and Reinventing Power: America’s Renewable Energy Boom (a new doc from the Sierra Club).

Read the full review in Planning.

(please share! all is takes is one quick click...)