Additions and Subdivisions

The rebirth of Albuquerque's Alamosa neighborhood. The residents of Alamosa neighborhood on the west side tell how they transformed one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods into a model for other neighborhood organizations to emulate. By working closely with police and local officials, they brought down crime rates and brought much-needed services to the area.

The story of Barelas is a story of resilience. The neighborhood, just south of downtown Albuquerque, is the one of the oldest recognized settlements in the area. In this documentary, interviews with former and current Bareleños bring to life the vibrant history of Barelas, from its beginnings as a farming community on the Camino Real, to its reign as the employment center of Albuquerque, to its deterioration and revival in the last few decades.

When the population of Albuquerque boomed after World War II, Sam Hoffman, a Phoenix-based homebuilder saw an opportunity. Hoffman acquired a plot of land near Wyoming and Menaul NE in the early 1950s and built the Hoffmantown subdivision on what was the edge of town at the time. This pioneering project featured a totally planned community, with sturdy, affordable homes for the city's growing middle class, a large park and the iconic Hoffmantown Shopping Center. It would serve as a model for future growth in Albuquerque's Northeast Heights.

Before there was the Big I, there was Martineztown, a nexus of travel in the southwest. From a stop along El Camino Real, Martineztown grew into a thriving village in the heart of Albuquerque. However, prosperity would not last. Marked for demolition in the 1970s, a grassroots movement to preserve the neighborhood took hold and a concerted effort by activists like Frank Martinez brought much needed services and funds to rehabilitate the area. Today, the neighborhood is home to two large Public Art pieces and part of the National Historic Trail system, commemorating El Camino Real, or the Royal Road, from Mexico City to San Juan Pueblo.

For decades, the neighborhood remained home to the largest concentration of African-Americans in the city and served as the social, political, and religious heart of the Black community. But while many lived in the neighborhood by choice, the reality was that discriminatory housing practices discouraged, and in some cases, prevented African-Americans from living anywhere else in Albuquerque. The documentary takes that issue head on, explaining the systemic racism behind the practices of racially restrictive covenants, discriminatory zoning restrictions and redlining, and the impacts that continue to this day. DellaFlora also chose to include the histories of the Kirtland Addition and the East End Addition, the only other neighborhoods outside of South Broadway to welcome African-Americans in the 1950s and 1960s. Despite the challenges, the neighborhood had a profound impact on Albuquerque. It produced world class athletes, pioneering politicians and professionals, celebrated musicians, and even a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Even today, as the neighborhood continues to address racism, crime, gentrification, and economic development issues, activists fight to preserve the soul of the neighborhood.

Tucked away in the near North Valley of Albuquerque, the Thomas Village neighborhood is the perfect blend of rural and urban. Although it is just minutes from the city's busy downtown, the bucolic neighborhood is also a gateway to the wonders of the Rio Grande bosque. This documentary traces the origins of Thomas Village from the family farm of Charles Mann -- where World War II German POWs once toiled -- to a subdivision built by a Don Quixote-obsessed developer, to a thriving and desirable community with an eclectic mix of professionals, politicians, academics and authors.

The historic Wells Park neighborhood north of downtown and east of Old Town, has mirrored the promise and problems of urban growth. Once home to workers in the city's thriving lumber business, the neighborhood would later face many challenges, from environmental pollution to gangs. But with the help of neighborhood activists, it turned things around and is now poised for a renaissance, as residents welcome brewpubs, artists and small businesses into the area, while still fighting to preserve the essential character of Wells Park.