City of Trees

Filmmaker Brandon Kramer's PBS-aired documentary focuses on the nonprofit group Washington Parks & People, which works to address socioeconomic issues within troubled neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., by improving local parks. The group received a $2.7 million stimulus grant during the last recession for a job-training program to put long-term Washington residents back to work. Some of the participants have been effectively blacklisted from gaining employment elsewhere due to criminal records, and they are grateful for the opportunity of a new chance. However, the endeavor also has more than a few problems: the stimulus money is running low, the surrounding community is mostly skeptical of outsiders bringing in beautification projects, and both the program's leaders and participants have personal difficulties they struggle to address. City of Trees offers an important consideration of urban environmental issues while also encouraging thinking outside of the proverbial box as a means of erasing some vestiges of urban poverty. The film's Washington location is particularly ironic: Washington Parks & People's cash-restricted effort of neighborhood revitalization is taking place a very short distance from the political center where billions are generously spent on nation-building projects all over the world. A provocative and compelling film, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)