Architecture and Urban Studies All Titles Art art and photography architecture and urban studies drama and theater music and dance Classically Georgian   An icon of architectural design, Georgian is also the most popular revival style. This program showcases examples of Georgian homes from three different centuries, offering a detailed tour of the grounds and interiors. First, the origins of the style are seen in a 1760 Georgian villa on the Thames. Next, the program visits The Grange in Toronto, a house from 1817. And then the tour arrives at the Batterwood mansion, built in 1927 in Canton, Ontario. Architect Barry Hobin and historians Fern Graham, Hal Kalman, and Dan Cruikshank provide commentary on this architectural homage to perfection. (24 minutes, color) Extreme Engineering: Boston's Big Dig When engineers proposed that Boston, a city with centuries of tangled infrastructure, build underground highways to end its traffic woes, the plan was deemed impossible. Critics were almost right. This fascinating documentary chronicles the largest civil engineering project in modern history, the re-routing of I-93 and I-90 underground. News footage, interviews, computer graphics, and time-lapse photography capture the political, environmental, and physical challenges of a construction scheme bigger than the Panama Canal. Discussing the nearly completed project are former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Fred Salvucci, project director Mike Lewis, engineering manager Lou Silano, former governor Michael Dukakis, and Dan McNichol, author of The Big Dig. A Discovery Channel Production. (50 minutes, color) Frank Gehry: Architecture as Art Part in-depth analysis, part whirlwind tour, this program captures the essence of Frank Gehry and his iconoclastic creations through the celebrated architect’s own words; the insights of Cesar Pelli, Richard Serra, Hiro Yamagata, and Rafael Moneo; and a broad sampling of Gehry’s many structures, which speak for themselves. The Davis studio and residence, Loyola Law School, the Edgemar Development, the Chiat/Day Building, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and the DG Bank Building are featured, among many others. Gehry’s love of motion, aesthetic exuberance, and dynamic language of design are considered, along with the seven constants that characterize his works. (55 minutes, color) Frank Lloyd Wright’s Last Dream: Monona Terrace He intended it as a gift to his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. It became one of the most contested buildings in American architectural history. This classic program presents the story of Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision of a civic center on the shore of Lake Monona, a project that took nearly 60 years to complete. Filmed extensively at Monona Terrace, as well as Taliesin and Oak Park, the program chronicles the controversy and achievement of Wright’s long career, featuring architects, former apprentices, Wright historian John Holzhueter, Wright archivist Bruce Pfeiffer, and former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, who presided over construction of the Monona Terrace project. (47 minutes, color) Housing America: Demographics and Development As the 21st century unfolds, how are Americans adapting to urgent issues involving sustainable growth, quality of life, and community planning? Segment one of this NewsHour program examines the effect of urban sprawl on Atlanta’s population, job and housing markets, the environment, and commuters. Segment two addresses the need for affordable housing in Burlington, Vermont, where the disparity between wages and real estate prices is on the rise. Segment three assesses urban renewal efforts in the old neighborhoods of Philadelphia. And segment four studies an experimental community system in Virginia known as co-housing. (64 minutes, color) Jane Jacobs: Urban Wisdom Through her groundbreaking books, Jane Jacobs has influenced the planning and understanding of cities and economies with what she calls a "web way of thinking." In this program, Jacobs shares her insights into urban planning by tracing the progression of ideas in her books, including The Death and Life of Great American Cities; The Economy of Cities; Cities and the Wealth of Nations; Systems of Survival; and her most recent, The Nature of Economies. An extended interview with Jacobs is blended with scenes from various North American cities and footage of her 1997 seminar, "Ideas That Matter." (45 minutes, color) Japanese Architectural Design: East Meets West Beginning with the Meiji Restoration, the techniques of Western architecture spread rapidly throughout Japan. Some architects fused the two traditions, while others subtly incorporated Western details into the modernized sukiya style. Filmed in Kyoto, this program focuses on the evolution of Japanese architecture from the late 19th century up to the Second World War. Buildings toured include the Shimadzu Foundation Memorial Hall; Murin-an; Botukuden Hall, by Shigemitsu Matsumuro; the former JR Nijo Station; Gion-kaku Tower, by Ito Chuta; Chochikkyo, by Fujii Koji; Kyoto Kaikan Hall Annex; Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art; and Yasaka Kaikan Hall, by Tokusaburo Kimura. (46 minutes, color) Nowhere Fast! Welcome to life in the slow lane. This program examines how cities and suburbs are dealing with ever-increasing traffic congestion as transportation consultant Alan Pisarski and experts from the Reason Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, the Progressive Policy Institute, Houston TranStar, and Caltrans debate the best ways to move forward. Suburb-to-suburb commuting, infrastructure expansion, and induced demand are addressed, and initiatives such as HOT lanes, congestion pricing, wireless motorist messaging systems, Flexcars, and Boston’s monumental reengineering effort, the Big Dig, are presented. A Discovery Channel Production. (46 minutes, color) Pisa: The Riddle of the Leaning Tower To save the Leaning Tower of Pisa from further leaning and eventual collapse, the Italian government appointed a scientific committee to devise a solution. Filmed over three years, this classic program documents the engineering challenges and the committee’s controversial answer to the structure’s ongoing decline—the most fateful moment in the Tower’s eight centuries of existence. Experts interviewed include John Burland, professor of geotechnics at Imperial College London; Piero Pierotti, professor of medieval architecture at the University of Pisa; and Giorgio Macchi, professor of structural engineering at the University of Pavia. (53 minutes, color) Prairie Style Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style, with its floating horizontal planes and organic relationship to natural surroundings, changed the face of modern architecture. In this program, Wright’s lasting legacy is examined both in one of his own designs and in those of two architects he inspired. Cameras tour Wright’s 1904 Tomak House in Illinois, Dan White’s house in Vancouver, and the Donald Fraser residence in Ontario. Architectural historian Hal Kalman and architects Barry Hobin and Dan White discuss the innovations and details of these groundbreaking homes . (24 minutes, color) Subways in America New York’s future, like its past, rides on the subway. Focusing primarily on the Big Apple, this program takes an in-depth look at the past, present, and incredible future of subways in America. Archival film and 3-D animation are used throughout, and expert commentary is provided by historian Clifton Hood; Lawrence Reuter, president of MTA/NYC Transit; Thomas Margro, general manager of San Francisco’s BART; and others. Technological challenges including boring tunnels through Manhattan schist and laying flexible tunnel tubes in San Francisco Bay are spotlighted, as are safety issues such as fire containment. The terrorist attack at Ground Zero is also considered. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes, color) Understanding Skysrapers Symbols of economic power and monuments to ingenuity and modernity, skyscrapers have transformed the urban landscape. From the Woolworth Building in New York to the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, this program illustrates a century of skyscraper design, technology, and construction. The Equitable Building, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, the Hyatt Park Tower, the John Hancock Center, the Petronas Towers, the Sears Tower, and The Trump World Tower are also featured. Interviews with world-class architects and structural engineers as well as real estate magnate Donald Trump are included. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes, color) World of Ideas: Maya Lin One of the rare few who have managed to excel in both art and architecture, Maya Lin creates places of refuge and contemplation in highly public spaces. Constructed on an intimate human scale, they invite visitors to touch, feel, respond, and reflect. In this program, the acclaimed sculptor and architect talks with Bill Moyers about a life and a career that has been shaped by her Asian-American heritage and a profound respect and love for the natural environment. (54 minutes, color)