Cars (Pixar/Disney) urban lesson planning

Cars(2006) is an animated film produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney directed by John Lasseterand. What is so spectacular about this movie is that is set in a world populated entirely by anthropomorphic cars and other vehicles. The movie revels the story of Lightning McQueen, a new and passionate racing car who needs to discover itself, when it is lost in the ghost town Radiator Springs of Route 66. Crossing the country in the direction of great Piston Cup Championship in California to compete with two veterans, McQueen meets the original characters that inhabit the city-including Sally, Doc Hudson and Mater. All of them can help us understand that there are more important things than getting awards, fame and sponsorships. Friendship and perseverance will always take you where you desire.

Things that Cars taugth us:

• Life is a Highway: Life would take you to different places, enjoy the ride and appreciate those you meet along the way.

• Uniqueness: Be true to yourself, don't change for others and remember that you are one of a kind.

• Build cities for humans not for Cars! My friend Isaac Wang actually gave me with this idea - Prosopopoeia (human personification for non persons). CARS is a great example of this because when it comes to do urban planning most of the designs and infrastructure are for them and not for humans. This it's getting our cities contaminated. Pollution and global warming are big issues and by promoting health in the city design along with different strategies to combat it when can make an impact in our environment. Here is an article that explains why this is so important .

Magenta & Madera interiors created a project named Thunder Train for the city (we are also a urban planner too) live Tijuana, Mexico, a lovely city but so complicated to ride public transportation, the city infrastructure is designed around Cars. Like Radiator Springs a lovely city that always receive tourists with open arms.

• Background of TIJUANA, Mexico:

• Traffic, noise pollution, few bus stops, narrow sidewalks, trash along the streets.

• Radiator Springs (Tijuana) wants more tourism.

• Has 2 trains in the City

• Design concept:

• Attract tourism – Like Radiator Springs (Tijuana) it’s a welcoming town that always receives tourists with and open heart.

• There is a Website name route 664 with the bus routes, in Cars is route 66.

• Disneyland have in Frontierland the attraction “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad”- Tijuana is frontier with San Diego

• Proposal:

• Rewards for going car FREE

• Train with WIFI why?

• Car sharing APPS

• Superilles or Superblocks this is a project very interesting that promotes walking and human health, decreasing the use of cars that enter in a 9 block perimeter and put a speed limit very low, making safer for people to walk.

• Integration with Googlemaps

• Bus stops with roof and recycle trash cans

• Bycicle stations

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If you are not a car, why you think as you are, the credits explain this

Here is an Infographic

This video is in Spanish: