Speed Levitch: The New York City "Grid Plan"

Speed Levitch expresses his thought on the New York City "Grid Plan".

[@camelcats5280]

Beware, and, beware, and, beware.

[@greenvelvet]

"Look man, I'm just trying to find the Bus stop. Either you know the direction or you don't."

[@vegastyphoon]

Tim is a gift to NYC. He is an amazing human being.

[@BL-zi9wb]

He's a pseud hack

[@Tom-rg2ex]

Can you imagine Speed Levitch and Duncan Trussell sitting down in a café?

[@ReubenWalton]

I don't understand what all the fuss is about. It's a fucking grid. Ever been somewhere like Boston that doesn't have a grid plan? It's hell on Earth!

[@JasonMcHenry]

I cannot expressing words how much I love this.

[@xSaecredChaotixx]

In a sense he's talking about the end of spontaneity and play for "seriousness" and "absolutism."

[@yerk3]

The grid is square because the buildings are square. The buildings are square because square buildings are practical and easier to make than irregularly shaped buildings. The grid plan is the most efficient arrangement for this shape of building, while wasting as little space as possible. If the buildings were arranged all katty-whompus, there would be a lot of unused space, that would probably be paved over or covered in pesticide lawns.

[@LuisMendoza-pp9qi]

I saw his show "up to speed" on Hulu... I couldn't watch more than 5 minutes

[@semiheresemi]

Were you asleep when flying above American suburbia? Practically all new suburb "towns" are designed in every way except a grid plan.

[@AsFunAsFunDev]

"Everybody likes the grid plan" - Now it's "everyone" when "everyone" is in your echo chamber. And your echo chamber has a max capacity of one.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I think NYC is a great city and NOT monotonous DESPITE the grid. Certainly it makes things more orderly and convenient, but is that the raison d'etre of a city? Are not cities even more exciting, the less predictable they are. Nevertheless, I love New York. It is the greatest city in the world

[@GooseMischief]

Might I suggest Boston or Pittsburgh as alternatives.

[@karmicexperiment5034]

Where is the Volvnick clip?!!!!!! In the park, PLEASE THE WORLD NEEDS IT

[@MrJoeybabe25]

From a post on the Ric Burns NYC Documentary: "I wonder if the grid as laid out very early in the 19th century, and it's inability to foresee the massive immigration and settlement of New York, contributed to the awful slum conditions later in the century? The grid took away the ability to be creative in housing and business and streets, and thus may have to bear some of the responsibility of the resulting squalor later in some parts of NYC. Frank Lloyd Wright unambiguously condemns "the overgrown city" which he likens to a "malignant tumor" grown "far out of human scale." He is equally censorious of the skyscraper and the grid, which together formed a "man-trap of gigantic dimensions," creating a constant "roar of congestion, confusion... [and] spasmodic movement." It all seems to lead back to the city fathers thinking in 1811 what the city would need in 1911. A living, growing organism like a city, suffers from this hierarchical planning.

[@wabbittv8923]

What's the altternative?

[@An_Economist_Plays]

@@wabbittv8923 that's exactly the question we have to ask.

[@omfgxphoebe]

Perfect. He said the unsayable, it's not even about the Grid Plan.

[@philadelphiawalksptsd]

Saying Hello! Much love, always, to Speed. You taught me a lot...transformed me in a day. Down here in Philly producing, as best I can on a budget, walking videos...but not the drug ones of Kensington (very sad), doing the flip side, the healthy-ish and wealthy side of this great city. Philadelphia. Go Blue!

[@zutronius]

Thanks Speed!

[@ReubenWalton]

The grid plan rocks. Ever been to Boston?

[@sockdolager3884]

exactly, this guy rejects structure with all its failings, and demand we live in his neurotic, nihilistic nightmare.

[@manolochootdatpizzachip5142]

Boston is mostly made up of perfect and loose grids. Other than Manhattan the rest of NY is a pain to navigate.

[@andrewtrott7844]

@@manolochootdatpizzachip5142 the best parts of life often happen between point. The grid plan helps create a world where all that matters is getting to point A from point B.

[@jcmik]

Is it weird that I 'disliked' this video but still added it to my favorites?

[@fredgarvinMP]

Not at all.

[@lightofdamon]

I always thought he said "allegianed" (not a real word though) I think, a version or play on allegiance "By being so allegianed to the grid plan" (being attached to the idea and pledging allegiance to something is kind of the same thing)

[@MassAmorphous]

lightofdamon "allegiant" is the word

[@ZAKANDWHATARMY]

Come to Detroit & experience your dream of total chaos & absurdity incarnate. It's quite a reflection of our personal confusion. You will miss the grid plan sir.

[@sockdolager3884]

Exactly.

[@MorganChiropractic]

what if C-A-T spelled dog?

[@TorneHeichou]

i love this human being so much

[@RS-dq9pn]

The alternative to the grid plan is Queens. Think about that

[@YuriArtibise]

His thoughts on the grid plan seem much more apropos to the winding suburban streets and cul-de-sacs that purposely avoid the grid in an effort to disguise their homogeneity. To me the grid it is like the alphabet, a standardization that allows an otherwise heterogeneous crowd to communicate with each other.

[@keithstack6321]

13 year old comment and I don’t know what you mean by “disguise their homogeneity” BUT - I do deliveries across a couple suburbs, driving I think - literally - every street. I haven’t done the science BUT I think it’s true that nowhere on my routes do I see as many kids at play or neighbors outside as on cul de sacs.

[@MichaelBasseyJohnson]

I like his voice.

[@tia-marieschaeffer9048]

"take a right turn, a right turn, a right turn", a right turn.. and suddenly, hopefully, you'll come to realize the tiny little boxes your "cells" are repackaged into. once you buy into the idea though what some of might refer to as a home it becomes nothing more than a traditional casket.

[@malachickisawesome]

God DAMN this video is old

[@prd_y]

It’s 2020 , this film is still very relevant. Saying something of our human nature.

[@multuminparvo]

As he speeks, I nod in agreement and understanding... while those around me screw up their faces in confusion... Thank goodness for other minds that reel and swell, and take sharp right hand turns!!!

[@noncontradiction]

@mjamesharding So the only way to bring people down to the same level is to exclude them from the picture?

[@zhulia]

but he's just so beautiful and sincere if sincerity was all that mattered, he would be king. i still want to feel with him sometime.

[@vasupanicker]

I am surprised about his views on the Grid. I think that as one who seeks to expose and experience the City's true beauty, he would embrace it. I disagree with him.

[@Ledgeview]

this is by far one of my fav topics in this movie. i have 3 copies of this film.

[@tonyabasi]

Fucking brilliant. This is the perfect explanation as to my views on by-passers, leading me to severe misanthropy, though I'm trying to have the view of letting people do their thang. It just sucks when I can't talk about my ideas because everyone around me is too christian to understand physical logic and abstract.

[@flahgdoe4558]

@3:18 “mysAlf”

[@ethanwl2]

This is brilliant. Fuck the grid plan.

[@anoooooj]

The grid plan is good though

[@michaelwatson4218]

I met him in Santa Cruz many years ago. I still love this riff on the NYC grid plan. He inspired me to start speaking my mind

[@italianhonor2907]

does anyone have this guys email?

[@mjamesharding]

@YuriArtibise: I don't know that the grid plan facilitates communication and relationships between diverse groups. If you look at NYC, the grid plan actually assists inclusivity by using boulevards and streets to divide neighborhoods from each other--large rivers of concrete and asphalt that keep people in their own insular enclaves (or gentrified neighborhoods). I think that the suburbs avoid the grid plan mainly because suburbs were planned around the automobile and not people.

[@arielfe]

This man talks in poetry

[@avisualfeel]

Yes, let's do away with the grid plan & while we're at it let's get rid of all the cars too. Bike it or hike it & re-design it!

[@escapethisall]

interestingly, we seem to love the non gridlike parts of the city the most. times square is very unsquare in contrast to most of manhattan.

[@ReubenWalton]

Whatever happened to this guy? Where is he in 2017?

[@dannzelescobar691]

Reuben Walton Still doing what he does best! He's also semi active on social media.

[@ReubenWalton]

Dannzel Escobar okay what's his page names?

[@MrToddy999]

Tim is still doing tours.. radio city etc

[@punishedsnake6141]

Heres the thing. This guy sounds really pretentious. Its like he doesnt understand he could just move to a place thats less structured. I mean its New York for Petes sake.

[@48956l]

He should move to Florence, Italy. That place is a fuckin mess of streets

[@lordvader691000]

Hence is Mr. Norton's #1 favourite film ever.

[@MastaKadaj]

His voice is grating.

[@VeltisAngel]

Right on! What people or "everyone" does not understand is that the "grid plan" must always change! And the mare fact that "everyone" doesn't really include everyone is mainly the reason why!

[@TigerRocket]

The 1807 plan was based on maximizing real estate profits and the democratic ideals of shared space. There was no consideration for the physical growth of pedestrian and transportation dynamics. Diagonals were strenuously opposed by the adherents of the grid. The original proposal also called for realigning Broadway as well. If it werent for the odd trajectories of Broadway and St. Nicholas Ave., and a hub like Columbus Circle, the grid plan would be constantly choked in standing traffic.

[@TigerRocket]

btw, nowhere in my comments did I imply a total non grid system. That would be as ludicrous as a pure grid system.

[@1650million]

He´s pretty awesome

[@5293278363]

This is one of my two favorite rants from the movie, this and "To all the people who add flavor to my life, why don't you come up to the Brooklyn Bridge and talk about it? Why don't you talk to me about it?..." I've seen 'The Cruise' more times than I care to admit. Thanks for posting. Cheers

[@aerodub]

@YuriArtibise : I like this thinking too. It is the interpretation that makes us individuals (or not...). and--glad to hear he's still giving tours!! Did one a couple years ago, no longer in NYC :(

[@TigerRocket]

The grid plan is fine as long as it includes circles and diagonal routes within it. As I stated in my previous comment a pure grid plan would result in constant grid lock. Again, there was no consideration for the physical growth of pedestrian AND transportation dynamics in the original concept. You simply cannot have a pure grid system, a growing population AND expanding traffic on a small finite island like Manhattan, and avoid congestion. It can not be done. You MUST have breaks in the grid.

[@MJPG2389]

This is a great video, and I love hearing opinions like this in the urban planning discussion. I'd be extremely keen on meeting Speed and having him visit and critique my city someday, since I already pick it apart on a daily basis I think it would be a great discussion.

[@tetsuoswrath]

All I heard is "waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!" "The ability to speak does not make you intelligent." - Qui Gon Jinn The grid exists in the large downtown areas of a bunch of cities. It's more efficient. And those people that owned that land made it how they liked it. Buy it from who ever owns it now and do the same. If the code doesn't allow you to do something, vote to change that. Use your thinker more than your talker bruh. :{h

[@pickler_pickler]

Only know about this guy from Xavier: Renegade Angel

[@multuminparvo]

...anyway thanks for the post, this movie is hard to find. :)

[@multuminparvo]

"I mean what does THAT person think about the grid plan?" Genius.

[@deanelso617]

If you get it you get it ❤

[@laurecuvillier]

Doesn’t get old

[@multuminparvo]

speaks* ;)

[@michaelconnor]

word!

[@seastar001]

Beautiful.

[@italianhonor2907]

anyone happen to know this email im related to him and id like get in toch with him.

[@mmorrell1]

The bleakness of our city street across America is overwhelming. Something's got to be done. Screw the grid.

[@fluxapocolypse]

we're forced to walk in these right angles - i mean, doesn't she find it infuriating? by being so completely allegiant to the grid plan, i think most noteworthy is this idiom: " i can't even imagine changing the grid plan"

[@EdimondoGrano]

I need to find this man in the belly of all belly's New York to share a table an a peppermint pattie. We would have quite the sit down, I assume too much, oh well, what a well I've falling for-eign again.

[@davidwalterevans]

i think its pretentious, nonsensical bullshit.