Ahead of Regional Plan Association’s (RPA) Centennial celebration — RPA 100 — beginning in 2022, our organization is seeking to digitize our entire Emmy award-winning 1973 documentary series CHOICES for ’76 and need your help. These one-hour documentaries or“televised town halls” asked viewers to weigh in on planning decisions about housing, transportation, the environment, poverty, and cities and suburbs.
Earlier this year, we digitized one of the documentaries:“Housing: A Place to Live.” The film helped raise awareness about residential segregation and how zoning regulations and“home rule” contribute to it. The goal is to raise $5,000 to digitize the remaining films and other archival material.
This is part of a broader effort to publicly share 100 years of RPA archival material to increase awareness about the history of regional planning in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. We believe that better understanding the region’s history will enable us all to better shape its future. You can support this effort by donating to Regional Plan Association and indicating that your contribution should go toward the Centennial Fund.