The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (1980)
• January 1st, 1980 • 0h 58min
Documentary
Overview
This witty and original film is about the open spaces of cities and why some of them work for people while others don't. Beginning at New York's Seagram Plaza, one of the most used open areas in the city, the film proceeds to analyze why this space is so popular and how other urban oases, both in New York and elsewhere, measure up. Based on direct observation of what people actually do, the film presents a remarkably engaging and informative tour of the urban landscape and looks at how it can be made more hospitable to those who live in it.
Make sure to check your pop-up blocker!!
Trailer
Similar Movies
The Get By: Making It on the Streets of NYC
Released on: 2010-02-26
Documentary
A Queens man has discovered enough hidden treasure — bits of diamonds, rubies, platinum and gold — o...
Salsa Lives
Released on: 2025-06-26
Documentary, Music
La Salsa Vive is a vibrant cinematic exploration of Afro-Cuban music's history, tracing its roots fr...
View on Boulevard, New York City
Released on: 1896-09-01
Documentary
Taken in 1896 on the Boulevard (upper Broadway) on the occasion of a bicycle parade in the heyday of...
Fallingwater: Frank Lloyd Wright's Masterwork, with Reflections by Edward Kaufmann jr.
Released on: 2011-10-21
Documentary
Documentary with new new high-definition footage of the Fallingwater house, but centered on an older...
Shine a Light
Released on: 2008-04-04
Documentary, Music
Martin Scorsese’s electrifying concert documentary captures The Rolling Stones live at New York’s Be...
Max Gimblett: Original Mind
Released on: 2017-05-19
Documentary
Max Gimblett: Original Mind documents the life and process of eccentric, creative genius Max Gimblet...
Days of Black and Yellow
Released on: 2019-02-21
Documentary
New York cab and black car drivers are facing economic and emotional hardship in a city dominated by...
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World
Released on: 2024-02-09
Documentary
New York City's beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka is best known for its borscht and varenyky, but...
Big Time
Released on: 2017-10-21
Documentary
Big Time gets up close with Danish architectural prodigy Bjarke Ingels over a period of six years wh...
The Oyler House: Richard Neutra's Desert Retreat
Released on: 2012-02-25
Documentary
In 1959, a government employee named Richard Oyler, living in the tiny desert town of Lone Pine, Cal...
Coast Modern
Released on: 2012-10-11
Documentary
A core group of architects embraced the West Coast from Vancouver to LA with its particular geograph...
Empire City
Released on: 1985-07-01
Documentary, History
A film essay contrasting the modern metropolis with its "golden age" from 1830-1930, with the partic...
Marqueetown
Released on: 2024-03-31
Documentary
Through booms and busts, Delft Theatres and its innovative gem The Nordic endured in Marquette, Mich...
Wealth of a Nation
Released on: 1964-01-01
Documentary
"This film explores how freedom of speech — including dissent — is afforded to all Americans, and sh...
Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich
Released on: 2022-11-25
Documentary
Stories from survivors frame this documentary detailing the sex-trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwe...
Who Killed Michael Stewart?
Released on: 1986-01-01
Documentary
A documentary about a case of police brutality in the 80's NYC, the killing of graffiti artist Micha...
Global Enlightenment: Part 1
Released on: 2005-06-21
Documentary
The shape-shifting and enigmatic hip hop artist Kool Keith has managed to surprise, shock, and enrag...
How to Squash a Squat
Released on: 1989-01-01
Documentary, History
1989, New York City's Alphabet City and East Village. A year after the Tompkins Square Park Riot, sq...