Nicole Chamson

Düsseldorf - Balanced Urban Growth

Individualized for profit, yet harmonious in its whole, Düsseldorf has met and largely conquered the conflicting demands of economic growth and human environment.

Montréal: The Neighborhood Revived

This full-length documentary from the Challenge for Change program addresses housing issues affecting Montreal in the mid-1970s. As the city is restoring older apartments through direct action and government subsidies, new, low-rent housing is being integrated into old neighborhoods.

Bologna: An Ancient City for a New Society

Exemplary in its town planning and administration, Bologna has been transformed into a city that is avant-garde, both socially and culturally, yet still preserves its historical roots.

Basingstoke - Runcorn - British New Towns

Great Britain was the first country to plan the establishment of 'new towns' to house the overflow from rapidly expanding industrial centres. Today these towns number over one hundred. This film examines the operation of two of them.

City Center and Pedestrians

This film focusses on the approaches that several cities have taken to one problem. Through various examples, it examines the implications and options for a pedestrian-oriented city core.

Grenoble--La Villeneuve: The City Conceived Anew

The "La Villeneuve" project in Grenoble aims at the genuine creation of a total community in the city core. It is a remarkable undertaking, both in its comprehensiveness and in its dependence on real collaboration between the public and all levels of government.

Saskatoon: Land and Growth Control

In the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, an effective government policy of controlling land investment prevents speculation, keeps land prices down, and provides a good balance between commercial, residential and public areas.

New York - Twin Parks Project - TV Channel 13

This feature-length documentary examines the reality of New York City in the 1970s, a place that had become a symbol of urban disaster. The 2 projects profiled attempt to tackle the problem of America’s biggest city: in a dilapidated part of the Bronx, a co-operative citizens’ movement tries to rejuvenate urban life; and WNET-TV uses its programming as an open forum for the public debate on urban issues.

Warsaw - Québec: How Not to Destroy a City

Is it possible to provide the amenities required by modern life without destroying the socio-cultural heritage of past generations? In this film two historically preserved cities present contrasting examples of contemporary growth.

Sapporo - Planned Growth

This feature documentary zooms in on the city of Sapporo, on the Island of Hokkaïdo in southern Japan. In contrast to the unplanned sprawl of neighbouring industrialized cities, Sapporo appears to be one of the best-planned large cities in the world, combining growth and technology with town planning and the preservation of green spaces.