This hour: the experience of the city -- from the bicycle seat, the planner’s map, and the poet’s pen.

City Messengers
by Katie Burningham (Falling Tree Productions, 2008)
Cab drivers may know the layout of any given metropolis and urban planners may know the blueprints, but no one knows the city streets like a bike messenger. They’re the ones threading the needle through frenzied traffic, bustling commuters, and pop-up obstacles. This is a portrait of the streets of London and the riders whose lives depend on them.

Fake City, Real Dreams
by Zak Rosen (Transom.org, 2008)
Neil Greenberg has been drawing maps since he was a kid, and now he’s drawn a really, really big one. On 17 huge sheets of paper. And we're not just talking about a few streets, a library, and a town fountain. We're talking about sewer placement, an intricate public transit system, public parks, industrial zones, rich neighborhoods, poor neighborhoods, and more. It’s all there. Zak Rosen collaborated with Neil to bring the fake city to life in sound.

Motor City Rebound (a poem)
by Al Letson (State of the Re:union, 2009)
In one of their earliest episodes, the radio show State of the Re:union went to Detroit, a city that has steadily lost its industry, its population, and its sense of identity. Nevertheless, host Al Letston sees light in the city that brought us Motown, the Cadillac, Faygo Pop, and Jiffy Muffin Mix; his tribute is part poem, part lament, and part love song.

Featured Music:

F.S. Blumm, "Schneeglocke," Mondkuchen (Morr Music, 2005)
Ellis Island Sound, "Your Twisted Sister," The Good Seed (Peacefrog, 2007)
Jason Urick, "Telephones," Husbands (Thrill Jockey, 2010)
Tape, "Defight," Paintings (3d Japan, 2005)
F.S. Blumm, "Erste Bohne," Mondkuchen (Morr Music, 2005)