BMW Docs: The New City

The first episode of BMW Documentaries: Wherever You Want To Go launches today.

I'm excited.

It has Buzz Aldrin in it. He's completely awesome.

For the last 100 years, cities have been designed around cars.

In 1800, only 3% of people lived in cities.

In 2008, we became a primarily urban species for the first time - more of us now live in cities than in rural areas.

Soon, many of us will live in megacities [cities with more than 10 million people] and living at this level of human density will represent a shift of similar magnitude. 

So, when BMW wanted to explore the future of mobility, we started with The New City. 

When we developed the concept, we wanted to create a documentary that was of and for the web.

Content that reflected how content is viewed, discussed, and propagated online. 

So, while the films are available at all good videosharingsites, the website provides an enhanced viewing experience.

The films are designed to be non-linear, hypertextual. So you can explore additional pieces of content around the primary narrative, in real time, inside the video player, and then jump straight back into the primary narrative.

The films are designed to precipitate discussion from different points of view, so, by logging in with Facebook, you can comment on specific moments, creating conversations around them.

[There's also a forum for longer form discussions to take place].

Would love to know what you think.