“The best New York City-based documentary in a decade.”
— Max Rivlin-Nadler, Hell Gate
“a vividly thrilling story about democracy”
— Kathy Ou, Hyperallergic
“Shakespearean in dimension, this deeply urban cautionary tale of a film has it all.”
— Anne-Katrin Titze, Eye on Film
“I highly recommend this important, often moving, documentary to anyone who cares about affordable housing in America.”
— Herbert Gambill, Mystery Catalog
“Emergent City is not a polemic, nor does it fall into the “all sides” trap of equivocation. It’s curious and patient, taking the time to understand its subject. It leaves enough wiggle room for the audience to make up its own mind, a kind of nonfiction Rorschach test to help us illuminate how we really think about everything from housing costs to climate change.”
— Alan Zilberman, Washington City Paper
“An absorbing study...you can see the architecture of how modern cities are designed and who they are made for.”
— Stephen Saito, The Moveable Feast
“Does a terrific job showing the many ingredients that go into a working democracy.”
— Christopher Reed, Hammer to Nail
“Audiences won’t find ... talking heads looking back with clarity that only time can provide. Instead they will get served immediacy and stated relevancy, an example of gentrification happening in real time. They will find a thornier picture than expected––winners and losers less clear-cut than imagined––and the story of a community that won’t stop fighting, even when the rent rose, the land was seized, and the lights turned out.”