U Is for Urbanism

Summary of U Is for Urbanism

by Roman Mars

38m•December 2, 2025
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Overview of U Is for Urbanism

This episode of 99% Invisible (host Roman Mars) examines how Sesame Street — created by Joan Ganz Cooney and John Stone — intentionally models a healthy, walkable urban neighborhood. The show’s set and stories reflect Jane Jacobs’s principles of vibrant urbanism (mixed uses, short blocks, diverse building ages, and density) and perform a kind of civic education about community life. The episode then pivots to a conversation with architecture critic Alexandra Lange about designing public spaces for children and teens, highlighting successful playground design (the FDR Park “Mega Swing”) and broader issues of exclusion, risk, and independence in public space design.

Key themes & topics

  • Sesame Street as an urbanist teaching tool, not just a children’s educational show
  • Joan Ganz Cooney’s research-driven mission to use television to narrow educational gaps
  • John Stone’s choice to set Sesame Street in a realistic city block (inspired by New York)
  • Jane Jacobs’s four conditions for vibrant city blocks and the concept of the “sidewalk ballet”
  • Tension between community-centered urbanism and developer-driven redevelopment (Sesame Street’s Ronald Grump)
  • Current political pressures on public media and cultural backlash to urban representation
  • Design for children and teens: who public space serves and who gets excluded
  • Playground design trends: encouraging risky play, inclusivity, and teen-friendly amenities (case study: Mega Swing)

Main takeaways

  • Sesame Street intentionally depicts a functioning, diverse, mixed-use urban block to model social norms and neighborhood life for children — effectively teaching urbanism as much as letters and numbers.
  • Jane Jacobs’s principles (mixed uses, short blocks, old & new buildings, and density) are visible on Sesame Street and help explain why the block feels “alive” and safe.
  • The “sidewalk ballet” (everyday, casual interactions among neighbors, shopkeepers, kids, and workers) is a core indicator of a healthy neighborhood and is dramatized in the show’s first scene.
  • Public spaces are too often designed to exclude teenagers; good design can invite them instead of pushing them away (e.g., large-scale, less “childish” equipment).
  • Playgrounds and parks that allow managed risk help children and teens develop independence and physical confidence; designers can balance safety and challenge.
  • Political and cultural attacks on public media and urban representations can threaten institutions that model inclusive, civic-minded neighborhoods.

Jane Jacobs’s four conditions (as presented)

  • Multiple functions (mixed-use: shops, housing, services)
  • Short blocks (more routes, more encounters)
  • A mix of old and new buildings (affordability and diversity)
  • A dense concentration of people (support for local businesses and “eyes on the street”)

Notable examples & case studies

  • Sesame Street set design: deliberate inclusion of soot, litter, a trash-can–dwelling Oscar — avoiding sanitized suburban aesthetics to reflect a lived-in city block.
  • First episode scene: Gordon introduces a new neighbor to the block; characters and small moments model the sidewalk ballet.
  • Ronald Grump episode: an allegory for developer-driven displacement and gentrification; the community resists and saves their brownstone.
  • 1990s set redesign: added a new hotel/apartment building alongside the brownstone — “a survivor of gentrification.”
  • FDR Park (Anna C. Verna Playground), Philadelphia: the “Mega Swing” — a 120 × 100 foot ellipse with 20 swings of different types, designed to attract teens and offer communal, adaptive play.

Alexandra Lange — design insights (children & teens)

  • Teen exclusion: Many public places are coded to discourage teens (playgrounds, shops, semi-public areas), even though teens need safe, public spaces for exercise, socializing, and independence.
  • The Mega Swing works because it:
    • Is scaled and styled to feel both challenging and “grown-up” (less plastic/primary-color aesthetic).
    • Offers varied swing types (adaptive, two-person, net swings) that support social and physical play.
    • Reframes swings as social apparatuses, not just children’s equipment.
  • Risky play: letting kids observe, attempt, fail, and learn is critical to development. Designers should manage—not remove—risk to foster independence.
  • Materials & aesthetics matter: playgrounds that avoid overtly “childish” color palettes can feel more welcoming to teens and adults too.
  • Play trends: sandboxes and seesaws are declining (maintenance and safety), but climbing nets and large rope structures offer safer, challenging alternatives.

Notable quotes & moments

  • Joan Ganz Cooney on television’s reach: “More households have televisions than bathtubs, telephones, vacuum cleaners…” — TV as an accessible educational tool.
  • Jane Jacobs (paraphrase in episode): “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody only when they are created by everybody.”
  • Loretta Long (Susan): Highlighted Black homeownership on television via the brownstone: “Not only were we a Black married couple, we also owned that house.”
  • First-episode sidewalk ballet scene: simple interactions (buying a paper, neighbors saying hello) used to demonstrate neighborhood life.

Actions & recommendations (for planners, designers, parents)

  • For urban planners: design and preserve mixed-use, short-block neighborhoods with a mix of building ages to support diverse residents and local businesses.
  • For park designers: include play structures that invite teens (scale, muted materials/colors, communal features), and create spaces that support a range of activities beyond sports.
  • For policymakers: prioritize public investment in neighborhood-facing public media and community-centered urban amenities; resist top-down projects that displace residents.
  • For parents/caregivers: allow supervised opportunities for risky play to help children develop physical confidence and independence.

Conclusion

The episode argues that Sesame Street did more than teach ABCs — it modeled how inclusive, functioning neighborhoods work. That model maps closely to Jane Jacobs’s principles and provides a counter-narrative to sanitized suburban or developer-centric visions of city life. The conversation with Alexandra Lange extends this to physical design: public spaces should invite all ages, manage risk rather than eliminate it, and materially signal inclusivity. The stories we tell children about neighborhoods matter because they shape what children imagine is possible in their own urban futures.