New Urban Cowboy: Toward a New Pedestrianism
Film reviews of New Urban Cowboy
"
—a
well photographed film of a fascinating story"
--Film Critic Jeff Farance, Daytona News Journal. Read the full review.
"
—a
film that captures Arth's irrepressible energy, his big ideas and his tireless
optimism..."
--Film Critic Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel. Review 1 | Review 2 .
"....a gripping ....astounding tale of artist and New Urbanism developer, builder, and visionary Michael Arth ...."
--Robert Avila, SF360 (San Francisco) Read the full review.
"A remarkable story....I recommend this documentary."
--Robert Steuteville, editor, New Urban News. Read the full review.
"A Really Great Documentary You Should See"
--Greg Dewar, The N-Judah Chronicles. Read the full review.
"Bold Visionary Sets Sights on City"
--Columnist Gerry Klein, The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, SK. Read the full review.
"New Urban Cowboy it's called and it's darned good"
-Frankly My Dear ....Movies with Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel.
"...[Arth's] accomplishment is nothing short of a miracle. He did it with hard work, courage, and a lot of luck."
--Film Critic Jason Wiener, Jason Watches Movies.
"Topping my list [at the Savannah Film Festival] is a documentary by artist, preservationist, modern-day polymath Michael E. Arth….New Urban Cowboy follows its creator as he faces down drug lords and a skeptical citizenry, resurrecting a dissolute neighborhood in a Central Florida town and turning it into a jewel of New Urbanism, the first triumph of what Arth calls ‘The New Pedestrianism.’...thought-provoking and lucid....”
--Joel Weickgenant, SavannahNow
“KNOWN TO URBAN PLANNERS and designers the world over as the father of ‘New Pedestrianism,’ Michael E. Arth decided to put his groundbreaking ideas about compact, walking-oriented, mixed-use neighborhoods to the ultimate test….”
--Jim Morekis, “An Interview with Michael E. Arth,” Connect Savannah. Link to the interview
"....Arth deserves so much respect: he is a dreamer, but a realistic and hardworking dreamer who gets results."
--Sam Fleet, Carbusters Magazine. Link to the review
Any of you who are in the know when it comes to New Urbanism have probably already heard of the New Urban Cowboy, aka Michael E. Arth. He's the mind behind New Pedestrianism, a more extreme form of New Urbanism in which pedestrian lanes instead of streets are the main connectors, with garages and car lanes relegated to the backs of buildings. Arth is also an idealist, a visionary, and an insanely hard worker-he's one of the (too few) idealists/visionaries that have the practical know-how and gumption to see their dream through to the end, to its absolute completion.... I'd advise anyone who is overly skeptical of solutions to the problems facing our civilization to see this movie, and to pay close attention. For that matter, anyone who is overly skeptical of our capacity to work together, create positive, major change, and to fulfill our dreams, ought to take a long look at what Michael Arth has done. You just might be inspired.
--I'ON Group. Link to the review
"Michael
E. Arth's story reads like a movie script and wraps with the
requisite Hollywood happy ending. In fact, Arth hails from Hollywood
and his story is now a film called The New Urban Cowboy. The happy
ending belongs not just to Arth but to the entire city of DeLand."
--Teri Pruden, DeLand Magazine. Link
to the review
Michael is truly one of those visonary people who walks the land like some kind of Gandhi. It's nothing short of a miracle that the Latin Kings didn't off him. We need about a million more like him.
--Jim Bartlett, writer
"His courage, dedication and passion are most commendable, the results impressive..."
--S. James
Wegg
JWR Reviews. Link
to the review
"The New Urban Cowboy: Towards a New Pedestrianism
This post has nothing to do with books or horses or the bookstore. It has to do with a documentary I saw last October at The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. It has stuck with me for so long and I swear, I probably think about it once a day. Very worth watching if you get the chance. The basic idea is so great, but the documentary is even more great. Truly Amazing, actually.
Michael E. Arth's idea is that eventually, in this country, we are going to have to figure out how to be a less car-centered society, as a whole, not just a few pockets of folks. An example of one of his main ideas is to turn neighborhoods around, literally. Instead of front yards facing roads and parked cars, they would face tree-lined pedestrian lanes. Kids, or anyone, could safely walk, skate, or ride their bike up and down these lanes. A village center would be within walking distance. In fact, everything is within walking distance. The roads for cars would be in the back, where the alleys used to be. It may sound simplistic, but it is an amazing documentary."
--Karin Morley, The English Major Bookstore, 1700 Madison Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee