10 Towns that Changed America

WTTW Chicago and PBS present a new three-part television and web series, 10 THAT CHANGED AMERICA. Hosted by Geoffrey Baer, this series will recount the stories of 40 of America’s manmade wonders, introduce us to the men and women who built them, and explore the impact that these places have had on us as individuals and communities.

Geoffrey Baer visits the Fountain of Youth and learns about an archeology dig in progress there. Photo credit: Barry Rabinowitz.

Enjoy a virtual tour of Temple Square and its key attractions. Photo credit: Alvaro Aguayo, Barr Photography.

Learn more about Riverside’s design in Geoffrey Baer’s extended interview with Chicago cultural historian Tim Samuelson. Photo credit: Riverside Historical Museum.

The director of the Greenbelt Museum shares with Geoffrey Baer what life was like for Greenbelt’s first residents. Photo credit: Santos Ramos.

Hear about life in Levittown from a lifelong resident. Photo credit: Jon Smith.

Meet a long-time Southwest DC resident and hear his perspectives on urban renewal. Photo credit: Santos Ramos.

Learn how “Katrina cottages” are being repurposed to provide affordable accommodations for the Seaside Institute. Photo credit: Seaside Development Corp.

In an extended interview with Rick Gustafson of Portland Streetcar, Inc., Geoffrey Baer learns why streetcars are better than buses. Photo credit: James Clark.

Ten “experimental” towns that did not evolve organically over time, but instead were designed (or redesigned) from the ground up by visionary architects, corporations, and citizens, who sought to change the lives of residents using architecture, design, and urban planning.