To New Horizons (1940)

To New Horizons–a short film produced by Handy (Jam) Organization and sponsored by General Motors–paints the picture of a utopian autocentric future seen as the result of constant pioneering progress. A couple of days ago, Streets.mn author David Levinson wrote about some potential futures that we might see a few decades out from today. In 1940, To New Horizons was what General Motors wanted to see  20 years later in the “wonder world of 1960.” This vision includes a lot of cars, of course, but also includes some familiar things to Minneapolis Saint Paul such as “separated land uses for greater efficiency and greater convenience” and “elevated sidewalks [that] give a new level of safety to pedestrians [while] doubling the actual available width for traffic in the street.”

Please take 20 minutes to take in this film and then share your thoughts and reactions in the comments below.

Matty Lang

About Matty Lang

Matty Lang has been interested in land use, transportation, and cities since he fell in love with Paris, France while studying there in 1998-1999. He is a filmmaker living in Minneapolis. He loves film, bicycling, and basketball. Follow him: Vimeo | @MattyLangMSP | Facebook