Cinema Paradiso: Enhancing Urban Life through Film

Abstract

The rise of streaming services has revolutionized the film industry, shifting the primary viewing experience from movie theaters to home settings. This trend, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to decreased occupancy rates in cinemas and diminished the communal aspects of film watching. To reverse this trend, public environments need to analyze what is keeping the occupant at home and use these findings to create spaces suitable to the occupant’s needs. This thesis explores how revitalizing a dying typology can inherently improve economically struggling urban areas and restore a sense of community that is becoming increasingly lost in the new digital age. The focus will analyze how art and film can educate and provide various services to the community to encourage intercultural competence. By analyzing the eco-psychological traits between humans and the environments they occupy and exploring various case studies that prioritize the human experience, this study will demonstrate strategies to create a space that uses digital media as a tool to foster physical social interactions and connections. This thesis contributes to the broader discourse of how urban spaces can stimulate job creation, enhance social activity, and improve media literacy, thereby reversing economic decline and reinvigorating the urban landscape.