And, on the eighth day, God created transit

Diana Lind of Next City has created a brilliant two-minute video highlighting what’s great about public transit. 

It takes the style of the terrific Dodge Ram “God made a farmer” ad that first ran during the Super Bowl. That two-minute ad (must have cost an amazing amount of money) was itself one of the best productions shown that evening, featuring the legendary radio voice of Paul Harvey and a striking, highly evocative sequence of images of Americana.  It was a truck ad, but really you didn’t find that out until the logo appeared at the end.

Lind’s images (some shown here) are also striking and evocative, and her narration is a worthy, contemporary updating of Harvey’s writing style. Watch it and you'll see what I mean:

It’s important that we build and strengthen communities that do not require so much driving.  But I’m glad that, unlike so much urbanist rhetoric going around today, Lind’s video isn’t anti-car, stressing how driving is evil and must be made more difficult and expensive.  Her voice is strong, but positive.  As someone who likes my car very much, thank you, but who has also been a transit rider since age 13, I love it.

I added it to NRDC's sustainable communities YouTube channel, where we have curated 190 videos so far for your enjoyment, along with playlists you can browse for sustainable neighborhoods, sustainable city systems, sustainable metro regions, and sustainable business.  (Only three are originals, but I do like them.) 

We have a companion channel on Vimeo, which in some ways I like even better than YouTube.  The Vimeo channel has 72 additional videos covering everything from safe streets for seniors to Ethan Kent of the Project for Public Spaces on placemaking to backyard farming.  Check them out and, if you like what you see, consider subscribing.  That’s a library of 262 accessible videos on sustainable communities!  Our handle on both platforms is NRDCcommunities.

In a brief article, Lind tells what motivated her to make her first video.  I hope she makes more. 

Related posts:

• The fascinating visual rhythms of regional transit (December 6, 2012)
• Public transit is for everyone, dogs too (August 13, 2012)
• How walkable, transit-oriented neighborhoods help seniors (June 5, 2012)
• Promoting people-oriented development around transit (May 21, 2012)
• Impressive Denver study on equity & transit should become national model (May 4, 2012)
• New data show how transit corridors reduce traffic, increase walking (August 17, 2011)
• Residents of award-winning, transit-oriented development say no to transit (February 2, 2011)
• The importance of transit context and design (September 27, 2010)

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