A newly restored 1980 documentary about how New Yorkers use their public spaces will return to the big screen on Sept. 26. “People were coming up to me for months afterwards talking about how they see the city in a slightly different way after seeing this movie,” Wilson said. Where to see it “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces is showing at Anthology Film Archives in Manhattan from Sept. 26 through Oct. 2. Before Whyte, public space was built with design trends or traditions in mind, said Nate Storring, co-executive director of the nonprofit Project for Public Spaces, which advises communities around the world on design and management. “Public space has a huge influence on our health, our wellbeing, on our economics, on crime, on people’s access to housing,” Storring said.