From Broadway Avenue to Wilshire Boulevard, a new PBS show examines how street life defines our city life Americans define their homes in many different ways, but few parts of the landscape capture the culture of a city or the rhythm of daily life better than a signature street. From small town Main Streets to bustling commercial corridors, these are the places where everyday exchanges play out (Curbed explored the idea in our own feature on what 10 particular streets reveal about the state of the nation in 2016). They?re also the setting for a new TV series exploring how planning, culture, and technology helped shape the country. After all, what rhetorical device works better when charting the historical pathway of a nation than a road" The new PBS show 10 Streets That Changed America wants to use famous streets and roadways as a jumping off point to explore history. A continuation of a series that includes 2016?s 10 Homes that Changed America, 10 Streets explores the ways real estate, technology, and travel alter ways we get around, and in turn, shape modern life.
Premiering Tuesday, July 10, the series, hosted by Geoffrey Baer, chronicles the country?s love affair with the open road, from Colonial mail routes to car-centric streets in California. Bookended by examinations of New York City?s Broadway Avenue past and present, the special highlights the importance of infrastructure, and how today?s planners are, in many ways, coming full circle in their efforts...