For Immediate Release: September 8, 2009

Create Your Own Behind-the-Scenes Look at Green Public Spaces

Requesting Submissions to the Museum’s “Your Great Green Places” Vimeo Group

Washington, D.C.—Everyone can name great public places, such as parks, squares, and outdoor markets found in cities across the country. But what makes these places work? Why do people seek them out and congregate there in large groups? And what makes some public spaces "greener?" In an effort to provide a "decoder ring" to reveal what makes these places so successful, the National Building Museum produced a series of mini-documentaries that identify the specific elements that help make Great Green Places. 

The Museum's Great Green Places series profiles various locations in Washington, D.C.: Dupont Circle, the U Street Corridor, Columbia Heights, and Barracks Row. Led by architects, city planners, and government officials, the four films describe for the lay person concepts of mixed use development, site planning and landscape architecture, pedestrian-friendly streetscape, historic sense of place, and multi-modal transportation.

Now it's your turn! Do you have a favorite great place in your community–Share it! 
We're calling on architects, planners, landscape architects, students, and the general public to grab a video camera, or even their cell phone, and document great green places in their communities. Films should be no longer than six minutes and should investigate what works as the local neighborhood's "Great Green Place." Ready to submit your film? Go to www.vimeo.com, join Vimeo, and you're ready to upload your video to the National Building Museum's "Your Great Green Places" group at www.vimeo.com/groups/greatgreenplaces.

Submit your video by February 15, 2010 for a chance to be selected for live screening as part of the Museum's participation in the DC Environmental Film Festival in March 2010. Judged by audience response and Museum staff, the top three film submissions will also be featured on the homepage of the Museum's web site for two weeks each in the spring of 2010.

Sponsors
Great Green Places is made possible by grants from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Government of the District of Columbia, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.  

The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and planning. Chartered by Congress in 1980 and open to the public since 1985, the Museum has become a vital forum for exchanging ideas and information about the built environment through its exhibitions, education programs, and publications. The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. Museum Shop. Café. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org.