“No Time for Ugliness” is a 1965 public service film presented by the American Institute of Architects, that warns against the visual and infrastructural dangers of urban sprawl and monotonous design. The film calls upon members to offer ingenious and creative solutions to urban planning challenges. Produced and directed by Peter Yung and Lawrence Ravitz, this short 23-minute displays a montage of clips from cities around the United States that act as prime examples of pioneering design, and that utilize and enhance their natural surroundings. Features narration by Wally King. The film also contains many scenes of slums, low cost housing and projects, and urban clutter in the form of endless advertising and billboards. The film ends by calling on civilians to put pressure on their local governments for proper and effective urban planning.
Nature scenes and tranquil music (0:06). Act 17:26 Bible Verse (0:23). Aerial view of suburbs of New York City (0:37). Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (0:48). Main title (0:54). Scenes of New York City (1:11). Benjamin Franklin statue at One Pace Plaza in front of Pace University (1:22). Nedick’s fast food restaurant employee at work (1:32). Advertisements on the highway (2:00). Ford advertisement (2:06). 1960s Ford Falcon driving on highway (2:22). New York Public Library Lions (2:24). Sign for Sunoco Gas station (2:45). Lady Justice statue on top of Brooklyn’s Borough Hall building (3:57). Urban sprawl (5:05). Shell Gas station (5:06). McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts drive through (5:12). Detroit waterfront (6:15). Washington D.C. waterfront on the Potomac River (6:35). San Antonio, Texas riverwalk (7:15). Casa Rio restaurant (7:19). Arneson River Theater (7:54). Downtown Hartford, Connecticut (8:50). Constitution Plaza (9:01). CT Bell Constitution Plaza Clock Tower (9:37). Jackson Square, San Francisco (10:18). Inner-city slums (10:45). Low-income housing in Saint Francis Square, San Francisco (11:09). Municipal low-cost housing program in Mount Clemens, Michigan (11:35). Lafayette Park, Detroit City (12:10). Redevelopment of SouthWest Washington D.C. (12:31). Preservation of row houses in Georgetown in Washington, D.C. (14:23). Examples of well-designed suburban homes in Marin County just north of San Francisco (15:38). More suburban homes in Virginia (16:02). Poorly designed suburban homes (16:16). Walgreens Pharmacy parking lot (17:03). Northland Shopping Center (17:35). Rockefeller Center New York City (18:40). Downtown Canton, Ohio Central Plaza (19:17). What everyday people can do to advocate for the beautification of their city (20:05). Concluding remarks (21:16). Alcaeus quote (22:44). Closing credits (22:52).
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image. Historically, the 1960s saw a rise in popularity around urban planning however the movement did not have much success in solving many of the dilemmas facing American cities.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
