One sign of a healthy democracy is whether people are permitted to gather in the street. Yet in U.S. cities, most public space is reserved for (and filled with) cars-significantly curbing the other activities that can take place therein. That's why Aaron Naparstek founded Streetsblog, an open forum for realizing a transition from car-centric cities to people-centric cities. What began as a conversation for New Yorkers has found traction in urban centers across the country, evolving to include a variety of efforts under the umbrella of the Livable Streets Initiative. Now, in an extension of that effort, Streetfilms is pushing the same agenda through film. So far, they've had quite an impact: It was only by getting Mayor Gavin Newsom to view an eight-minute Streetfilm on the Ciclovia events in Bogotá, Colombia, that bike coalitions were able to make San Francisco's car-free Sunday festivals (also known as Sunday Streets) a reality. Now they're a regular occurrence, and the city is healthier for it.
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