Urban Planning and the City in Film

How we build our cities and how we portray them in media are deeply interconnected. To understand modern urban challenges, we must examine how filmmakers have documented, critiqued, and imagined the urban experience. This text-only course guides you through the intersection of urban studies, architecture, and cinema, showing you how to read cities through a critical cinematic lens. You will start with the fundamental concepts of urban planning history, learning how major design eras are reflected on screen. By analyzing cinematic representations of transit, housing, public spaces, and social stratification, you will develop a rich framework for evaluating real-world urban design. What you will learn: Understand the core principles of urban planning history and architectural movements; Analyze how filmmakers depict urban density, sprawl, and public infrastructure; Identify social justice, gentrification, and housing themes in classic and modern cinema; Evaluate the impact of transit systems and walkability through cinematic narratives; Practice critical visual analysis to decode the spatial politics of on-screen cities. This course begins with foundational definitions of urban design and cinema studies before guiding you through thematic readings of iconic films that represent the evolution of the modern metropolis. Designed entirely for beginners, this course requires no prior background in urban planning, architecture, or film theory. Begin reading today to discover how the stories we tell on screen shape the cities we build in reality.