James Howard Kunstler: The tragedy of suburbia
http://www.ted.com In James Howard Kunstler’s view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America is a nation of places not worth caring about.
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Duration : 0:21:41
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Conventional zoning …
Conventional zoning does a lot of damage, but professional planners weren’t destroying the Traditional Urban Development by accident. They were doing it because public policy leaders told them, and because the general public generally preferred the new suburban sprawl to the crime that resulted from the anonymity of the urban form. The truth is that different people want different things. Before zoning, developers had to create the right combination of mixed use, pedestrian friendly cities etc
Yeah the American …
Yeah the American way of life will kill the planet.
The real problem is ,they’re the example that everyone try to follow. And thats wrong.
Some say the European way is that everyone should to copy.
I dont know its sound a bit hypocrite
Here also (almost) everybody owns a car especially in Western Europe and people try to make their dreams true which is nearly the same as American( 1or2 cars ,big house etc)
At least we realized where this all driving to
The question: is it too late or not yet?
@Videomanjohn, oh …
@Videomanjohn, oh really videomanjohn, where do you live that’s just so great you and all your family and friends just want to walk around and interact with other human beings? The Costco parking lot maybe?
Great stand-up act.
Great stand-up act.
Everyone wants a …
Everyone wants a big house and a big yard, yet wants to be close to everything. Everyone also wants to be around people like themselves, especially economically. No one cares about the environmental consequences of this though.
My home town of …
My home town of Hooksett, New Hampshire has been struggling to find a center for over a decade. There was once a town center, but that was abandoned at some point and shifted closer to the nearby city. As a result, we have one busy, unwalkable, ugly street with struggling retail stores, car dealerships, gas stations, etc.
What was once the town center is still quaint, but there’s not much there, town hall even left. It’s a dilemma that needs solving and it would improve quality of life.
Riverside, …
Riverside, California.
More than …
More than unsustainable, the way of life in urban USA is unlivable. The “places” we have created in the usa are among the ugliest on earth.
Hi 303playa from …
Hi 303playa from the UK. I have visited your beautiful country and I wholeheartedly agree with you. I have lived it two major US cities and visited dozens of smaller ones and you are absolutely right – these places have no soul and their structure makes it expensive and inconvenient to be social. I’ll be leaving as soon as I can. But at the same time I’ll be working toward positive change while I’m here.
Great talk…North …
Great talk…North America can learn from European cities, in terms of City planning, public spaces (Plazas), down sizing (e.g. cars), awareness towards environment (public transport system) and energy (fuel efficient, green energy), supporting local economy, organic food…
omg what a preacher
omg what a preacher
Nice to see the …
Nice to see the elite still likes to get their undies in bunch and fabricate reasons for not liking something…. okay, we get it, you don’t like suburbia. The other 80% of us do so please bugger off.
Cars require …
Cars require massive parking garages, massive highways, and they erode the street making it unpleasant to be in. They take up too much space.
I don’t own a car, never have.Human beings have these great transportation devices built in, theyre called legs! they’re great!
eldery people often cant drive because they fail the renewal test after a certain age, so its better for them to live in a ground floor apartment within a couple blocks of dense retail.
As a visitor from …
As a visitor from the UK I find what has happened to all these towns in the US & Canada so demoralising and depressing as they seem to have no centre and no soul – all these people seem to do is live in their homes & cars with no intention to congregate with other people – even if they wish to there seems little hope of ever doing so – were these places deliberately built to crush the human spirit and keep them down by pumping them full of the opium of consumerism … ?
Shmuckfeatures: I …
Shmuckfeatures: I agree, just like abled people have stopped driving.
Believe me, i’m all for getting rid of cars, but there’s got to be a replacement in it’s place. Most canadian(& american) cities dont put “transit” first on their agenda which is why we produce more carbon emitions. If we had an alternative for personal vehicles, we’d be solving a huge problem.
I’d like to point …
I’d like to point out that some disabled folks have already had to stop driving due to oil prices becoming as high as they are.
I agree with most …
I agree with most of Mr. Kunstlers views on urbanism. Two things i “don’t” agree with are the future of cars and skyscrapers. First, humans will NEVER go without a “personal vehicle”(*electric OR gas) Does he think that the elderly and disabled just won’t drive in the future? With skyscrapers, they serve their purpose in an “already” dense city. Basicly, he’s imagining a world that’s COMPLETELY covered with buildings and homes. What about the sky? We’re not looking at the sky anymore?
sorry but all this …
sorry but all this “new urbanism” is basically authoritarian high modernism with a sexy new name. every time the radical left wing architects have had there way they have built vast empty plazas and urban decay.
Suburbs are Stupid. …
Suburbs are Stupid. Google Suburban Stupidity, and you’ll find more hits than you can imagine.
JHK’s message is …
JHK’s message is sobering and likely true and, if so, we all have much work to do if we hope to save even a part of our once-great democracy.
The irony of this talk being framed between (sponsored by?) ads for BMW automobiles is simply amazing. Consider how you responded to these ads as a indicator of where your inclinations and sympathies truly are vested.
That’s in America. …
That’s in America. Check out cities in other countries. The setup is different. Core areas in most developed countries are usually the most expensive to live in. The further away from the core the lower the income. The outskirts of cities are normally where slums would be. Often times you get cities like NAgasaki that don’t have slums because they don’t have the social problems that other cities and countries tend to have.
its not my dream. I …
its not my dream. I am tired of this whole the american dream that people try to shove down the masses throat. My dream is to be in a profession that allows me to continue my cosmopolitan lifestyle. Yea growing up I moved around from city to city sometimes to different countries. Parents jobs dictated it XD. I enjoy it. I find it boring and mundane to stay in 1 spot for anything longer than 4 yrs. That McAmerican dream would be my nightmare.
haha yeah.
haha yeah.
very well said. now …
very well said. now when can I go to this great place he talks about? I’m so ready.
nahoum cohen
not …
nahoum cohen
not precise enough. There is bad planning, which is then followed by bad design. To repair a situation, one needs planning, a definition of the plots belonging to the public.
Pity that the lecturer mixes planning and design. These are separate moves. However his sense of humor is valid on its own.