ABOUT THE PROJECT
MEET THE CAST

LUCY ALLEN Mayor of Louisburg, North Carolina President, NC League of Municipalities Louisburg, NC Mayor Allen offers small town experience as well as the larger perspective of someone involved in all North Carolina municipalities. She would like Louisburg to maintain its small town flavor in the midst of impending development. Articulate with hometown charm, Mayor Allen has a balanced view of Smart Growth.

ROY BARNES Governor of Georgia Atlanta, GA Governor Barnes is one of the high-profile political leaders supporting smart growth principles. He believes that Atlanta may choke on its economic success if something isn't done soon about affordable housing, traffic congestion, and air pollution. He's one of the first to talk about economic success and the importance of maintaining a good quality of life.

DANA BEACH Executive Director, SC Coastal Conservation League Time Magazine for Kids 1999 Hero for the Planet Man of the Year Charleston, SC We do an office and helicopter interview with Mr. Beach in Charleston. A Harvard graduate, he is able to talk about growth and coastal issues in human terms. Satellite photos provide us with a look at how growth is impacting Charleston, along with other projections into the future provided by Clemson University.

RICH BELL Executive Director, Smart Growth Alliance Raleigh, NC Interviewed at his office and home, Mr. Bell is very knowledgeable about smart growth history and issues. He provides a firm grasp on the components of smart growth, and he also discusses issues and solutions in Raleigh and other North Carolina cities.

DR. ROBERT D. BULLARD Director and Professor, Clark Atlanta University, Environmental Justice Resource Center Atlanta, GA Dr. Bullard, an African American, is at the forefront of a new academic discipline called environmental justice. His new book, due in stores in September, is backed by the Ford Foundation because of the agency's belief in its importance. Bullard has done extensive studies in Atlanta-and nationwide-about how sprawl has impacted upon minorities.

BOB EMORY Forest Steward, Weyerhaeuser Company New Bern, North Carolina Interviewed on-site on Weyerhaeuser forest property. Emory shares Weyerhaeuser's commitment to operating a profitable forestry corporation that recognizes the importance of preserving natural heritage lands.

LEE EPSTEIN Director of the Lands Program, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Chesapeake, MD An attorney, Epstein gave up his lucrative law practice to work on saving the Chesapeake Bay. Soft-spoken and bright, he provides a measure of scientific evidence and a caring individual's perspectives on smart growth ideas. He talks about how, as a father, he hopes to leave a legacy to his sons of beauty and well-being as far as the Chesapeake Bay is concerned.

DR. COURTNEY HACKNEY Professor, Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC Well-known for his innovative research connecting scientific concerns with the consequences of human interaction upon the environment, Dr. Hackney provides the program with solid scientific information easily understood by the average viewer about why and how people's actions affect the environment. He is interviewed in his office, in marsh waters, along the beach, and in a boat along the Cape Fear River.

NANNIE MAE HERNDON Homeowner Cary, NC Written about in newspapers across North Carolina, this woman in her eighties is trying to save her family farm from developers. She believes in the quiet and beauty of her land and wants to preserve it for others, so she has put it in a conservancy for future generations.

RANDALL G. HOLCOMBE DeVoe Moore Professor, Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Dr. Holcombe received his Ph.D. in economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and has major interests in the fields of public finance and public choice. As well as teaching at Florida State University, he is also Chairman of the Research Advisory Council of the James Madison Institute, a Tallahassee-based think tank that specializes in issues facing state governments, and is a member of Governor Jeb Bush's Council of Economic Advisors. He is the author of nine books and more than 100 articles and reviews published in academic and professional journals. Holcombe discusses the pros and cons of smart growth and new urbanism in the documentary.

JAMES O. LIGHTHIZER President, Civil War Preservation Trust Arlington, VA Born in the North, Lighthizer talks about how history is being paved over and will soon be lost. We interview him in a Virginia Civil War cemetery where he poignantly explains how we must preserve the legacy and land of what defined us as a nation-not only to do honor to the war dead but so that all generations of Americans can remember their history and become more learned.

HUGH L. MCCOLL Former President and CEO, Bank of America Charlotte, NC McColl believes in smart growth principles and urges investment in same. He believes that smart growth makes long-term economic and investment sense. One of the few banks to support smart growth goals, McColl offers a business perspective of great importance.

DR. STEVE MILLER Associate Director, UNCW Center for Undersea Research Key Largo, Florida A leading researcher in water quality issues, Dr. Miller discusses the negative effects that waste disposal is having in Florida. He also explains UNCW's Aquarius Underwater Lab Research program and speculates on the fate of our oceans.

MARY BETH NICKOLICH Forester, Weyerhaeuser Company New Bern, North Carolina A female forester, Ms. Nickolich was also interviewed on Weyerhaeuser forest lands. She discusses their involvement in the MOU (memorandum of understanding) and protection of vital historical acreage.

LAURA PADGETT Council Member Wilmington, NC Ms. Padgett was interviewed in an empty City Hall chambers. There are also cutaways of her in the various places in Wilmington she highlights in reference to the problems and successes regarding smart growth. A believer in smart growth, Padgett was a positive vote for a Wilmington historic moment: passage of the city's first mixed-zoning ordinance. The ordinance allows mixed housing and commercial ventures to cohabit the same area.

ELIZABETH PLATER-ZYBERK New Urbanism Expert Miami, FL Dr. Plater-Zyberk helped launch, with her architect husband Andres Duany, the Congress for New Urbanism, which strives to promote the creation of pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. A pioneer in the rapidly growing movement known as New Urbanism, she is co-author of a new book entitled: Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, a critique of suburban sprawl that offers alternative growth options. She has a graduate degree from the Yale School of Architecture and is cofounder with her husband of Arquitectonic, which is involved in the planning and development of New Urbanist towns such as Seaside, Florida. Plater-Zyberk is also Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Miami.

ANNE ROISE Economic Development Department Savannah, GA Historic Savannah is revealed in a different light by this African American woman, a graduate of MIT and a world traveler, whose responsibilities are to try to provide a sense of community and a sense of place for parts of the city. Ms. Roise talks about stories that have to do with "connectedness" and believes that without this connectedness of people to place, we lose responsibility for where we live and the history it represents.

SCOTT K. YORK Chairman-Board of Supervisors, Loudoun County, Virginia Leesburg, VA Loudoun County is one of the fastest growing large counties in the United States. (New Hanover County is one of the fastest growing small counties.) Adjacent Fairfax county wants to spill over into Loudoun County but Mr. York, a slow-growth commissioner, and his colleagues on the commission are in the battle to maintain Loudoun County's uniqueness and diversity, as well as the quality of life.

OTHER APPEARANCES Other citizens, minorities, and business people are included in the program though not with the emphasis of those cited above. Often, these people have a sound bite or two and represent cameo appearances.

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