Journalist Sam Bloch, the inaugural recipient of the Writing the City award, a collaboration between “Places Journal” and Columbia Journalism School, builds on his expansive article, “Shade,” published on “Places” in spring 2019. Bloch argues that shade is far more than a consequence of tree planting or architectural form-making — that it is nothing less than an index of economic inequality, a necessity for public health, and a new mandate for urban design and planning. During the course of the new film, Bloch talks with Helene Schpak, president of the Glassell Park Improvement Association; urban planner James Rojas; and John Yi, executive director of Los Angeles Walks, about the numerous challenges of implementing this new mandate in Los Angeles.

Bloch is now expanding his “Places” article into a book for Random House. A graduate of Columbia Journalism School, Bloch is a contributing writer at “The Counter,” a nonprofit newsroom investigating the American food system, and he has written about arts and culture for the “New York Times,” “L.A. Weekly,” “Art in America,” and “CityLab,” among others. Previously he lived in one of Los Angeles’s shadiest neighborhoods.

Crew Credits:

Production:
Creator and Executive Producer - Hernán Díaz Alonso
Producers - Marcelyn Gow/Reza Monahan
Director - Reza Monahan
Director of Photography - Sean Morris
B-Camera - Robert Moreno

Post-Production:
Story Producers - Marcelyn Gow/Tanita Enderes/Vivian Charlesworth
Editors - Sean Morris/Reza Monahan

Soundtrack by Sara Johanne and Jason Breeden

Photographs Provided by ©Monica Nouwens

Additional Images and Video Provided by Sam Bloch and "Places Journal"

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