KunstlerCast - Suburban Sprawl: A Tragic Comedy
413 episodes - English - Latest episode: 14 days ago - ★★★★★ - 380 ratingsJames Howard Kunstler, author of "The Geography of Nowhere" and "The Long Emergency," takes on suburban sprawl, disposable architecture and the end of the cheap oil era each week with program host Duncan Crary.
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Episodes
KunstlerCast #116: Deep Water Horizon
June 17, 2010 15:30JHK examines the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the fog of incomplete information that surrounds it. Kunstler sees this incident as further proof that the peak oil story is real. Now that the low hanging fruit of our oil resources has been plucked, the paradigms of our car-dependent society are forcing us to drill under difficult conditions that are hard to control. The return of $4 gallons of gasoline is not far around the next corner and the trauma from this event is already pr...
KunstlerCast #116: Deep Water Horizon
June 17, 2010 15:30JHK examines the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the fog of incomplete information that surrounds it. Kunstler sees this incident as further proof that the peak oil story is real. Now that the low hanging fruit of our oil resources has been plucked, the paradigms of our car-dependent society are forcing us to drill under difficult conditions that are hard to control. The return of $4 gallons of gasoline is not far around the next corner and the trauma from this event is already pr...
KunstlerCast #115: Atlanta
June 10, 2010 19:52 - 26 minutes - 14.9 MBJames Howard Kunstler shares his observations from a recent visit to Atlanta, Ga.
KunstlerCast #114: Agrarian Urbanism
June 03, 2010 16:47 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MBJames Howard Kunstler recently returned from the 18th Annual Congress for the New Urbanism. Agrarian urbanism was a hot topic among many New Urbanists at the Congress and in this episode Kunstler takes the time to explore the topic of food production in cities. Rising energy prices and poor growing weather may lead to global food shortages, but JHK believes that the idea of feeding the U.S. population with rooftop gardens and skyscraper terrariums is absurd. Gardening and even raising certa...
KunstlerCast #113: Pit Bulls in the China Shop
May 27, 2010 18:13 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MBUsing the example of a recent gimmick to allow dogs into the stores in downtown Saratoga Springs, James Howard Kunstler examines the topic of decorum in the public realm. JHK believes that Americans struggle with boundary issues and evaluating appropriate behavior, which may explain the increased presence of pet dogs in inappropriate venues. Vicious dogs, which have become the latest "urban" accessory, add an even more troubling dynamic to the streetscape. The situation gets worse when dog o...
KunstlerCast #112: The Politics of Place
May 20, 2010 18:35 - 29 minutes - 20.4 MBJames Howard Kunstler examines the politics of place. Are the suburbs more conservative than cities? Why are people who try to conserve the historic fabric of their towns branded as radical liberals, while the agents of destruction in those towns call themselves "conservative?" What is the historical relationship between political ideas and the places where they originate from? JHK addresses these questions in today's episode. Sponsor: http://audiblepodcast.com/kunstler
KunstlerCast #111: Brutalism
May 13, 2010 19:17 - 47 minutes - 26.9 MBJames Howard Kunstler explains the origins of brutalism, the modernist architectural style that resulted in the horrible, poured concrete bunker-like buildings found all across the world. JHK explains why these concrete buildings age more rapidly, and less gracefully, than Roman concrete buildings. He also tells the story of how Hitler inspired (indirectly) these despotic structures. Specific examples of brutalist buildings discussed in this episode are: Boston City Hall, Troy City Hall, th...
KunstlerCast #110: Human Scale
May 06, 2010 15:37 - 31 minutes - 18.1 MBJames Howard Kunstler explains what it means to build to the human scale and how our modern built environment fails to do this.
KunstlerCast #109: Rock and Roll
April 29, 2010 04:00 - 38 minutes - 21.9 MBJames Howard Kunstler shares some stories from his days writing for Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970s. He reflects on the role that technology played in creating the mind-blowing music that defined a generation. He also wonders about the future of popular music as we head into the Long Emergency.
KunstlerCast #108: The Virtual Realm vs. The Authentic
April 22, 2010 16:40 - 43 minutes - 20.1 MBJames Howard Kunstler believes that the virtual is not an adequate replacement for the authentic. In spite of how appealing and ingenious we may find virtual life, it is not as good as real life. Kunstler calls the Internet "the world's most amazing distraction from reality that has ever been invented" and he notes that it appeared just at a time when we are in desperate need to attend to the major troubles facing our society. Online spaces now serve as our "third place," but that often occu...
KunstlerCast #107: Sprawl Defenders
April 15, 2010 20:07 - 53 minutes - 24.5 MBThis conversation was recorded one day before James Howard Kunstler was scheduled to debate Randal O'Toole at Brown University in Providence, RI. O'Toole is a well-known advocate for the suburban living arrangement. Host Duncan Crary chats with JHK about the pro-suburbia arguments in preparation for the debate. JHK refutes some of the major arguments used by sprawl defenders, including the notions that sprawl is good because people choose it and that sprawl represents liberty. JHK also notes...
KunstlerCast #106: Space Exploration
April 08, 2010 18:22 - 33 minutes - 15.4 MBAs NASA prepares to retire its space shuttle program, James Howard Kunstler takes a few moments to muse on the past, present and future of space exploration. Personally, JHK is glad that our government is cutting funding for space exploration. He's not sure what the 20th Century fiesta of technology accomplished anyway. On the topic of space colonization, Kunstler says he fears that humans will make the rest of the universe as bad as Hackensack, New Jersey. He also touches upon the issues of...
KunstlerCast #105: Virtual Tour of Baltimore - Part 2
April 01, 2010 19:19 - 43 minutes - 19.7 MBJames Howard Kunstler continues his virtual "walking" tour/commentary of Baltimore, Maryland. In this tour, he inspects the light rail system, the water taxi and market place in historic Fell's Point neighborhood, and a new urbanist-influenced condo-harbor district. He concludes the tour at the Legg Mason building, a particularly bad skyscraper where JHK delivered a breakfast talk recently to a group of community stakeholders. Kunstler considers buildings like this to be a future liability a...
KunstlerCast #104: Virtual Tour of Baltimore - Part 1
March 25, 2010 22:10 - 38 minutes - 26.5 MBJames Howard Kunstler sometimes thinks of Baltimore, Maryland as the poster child for how cities are going to contract in this country and around the world as we enter into a new energy era. In many ways, Kunstler says Baltimore is a very damaged city, but there are some parts of it that are quite interesting fun and heartening. During this episode, JHK gives a virtual tour of B'more using Google Street view. Before zooming in, however, he takes a moment to appreciate the geography of the Ch...
KunstlerCast #103: Parking Militants and Hot Heads
March 18, 2010 21:39 - 54 minutes - 24.9 MBJames Howard Kunstler is sometimes propelled into "mad dog mode" when speaking about the modern American landscape. But tempers fly on all sides of these urban policy debates. And there are many times when the only sane response is to be angry about what we've done to the North American landscape over the past 50 years. In this conversation, JHK explores the heightened emotions that erupt over the issue of parking in small cities and towns. Community leaders across the country still believe ...
KunstlerCast #102: Building the Future
March 11, 2010 20:48 - 53 minutes - 24.6 MBJames Howard Kunstler believes that one way or another, we're going to end up living in a very different daily environment than the one we're used to. In this episode, he discusses the future of building materials. JHK doesn't believe that we'll continue to use the same "jive plastic" production home building materials and techniques in the future. He's been thinking a lot about how we're going to re-orient the building trades to use less exotic materials and fewer fabricated, mass-produced ...
KunstlerCast #101: Climate Change
March 04, 2010 21:36 - 31 minutes - 22 MBJames Howard Kunstler answers a listener call about the relationship between climate change and peak oil.
KunstlerCast #100: Rochester NY
February 19, 2010 04:59 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MBJames Howard Kunstler is pleasantly surprised by Rochester, N.Y., a small industrial city in the Great Lakes region. The first portion of this program features two of JHK's former classmates who share stories about Jim's college days. The bulk of the show includes a driving tour of Rochester NY with JHK.
KunstlerCast #99: Big Slide Q & A
February 12, 2010 01:56 - 16 minutes - 23.1 MBJames Howard Kunstler answers questions from cast members and the audience who attended the staged reading of "Big Slide," an original three-act by JHK.
KunstlerCast #98: Big Slide - Acts 2, 3
February 04, 2010 19:35 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBOn today's podcast, we present the conclusion of "Big Slide," an original three-act play by James Howard Kunstler. Set in the autumn of an unspecified near-future year, at an Adirondack "great camp," this is the story of three generations of the Freeman family who have taken refuge from New York and Boston during a severe national political maelstrom. Though we are never fully apprised of the exact nature of this event, it appears that a coup d'etat has occurred in the White House and local ...
KunstlerCast #97: Big Slide - Act 1
January 29, 2010 20:58 - 1 hour - 59.5 MBOn today's podcast, we present the first act of "Big Slide," an original three-act play by James Howard Kunstler. Set in the autumn of an unspecified near-future year, at an Adirondack "great camp," this is the story of three generations of the Freeman family who have taken refuge from New York and Boston during a severe national political maelstrom. Though we are never fully apprised of the exact nature of this event, it appears that a coup d'etat has occurred in the White House and local m...
KunstlerCast #96: Road Trip
January 21, 2010 19:31 - 33 minutes - 38.6 MBJames Howard Kunstler and Duncan Crary hit the open road to bring you these audio postcards from the NYS Thruway on their way to Rochester. To pass the time, they discuss the American experience of the road trip, the future of the small forlorn cities they pass along the way, the enterprise of downhill skiing, and how life in upstate New York has colored Kunstler's worldview as an author and commentator. Sponsor: Cultivatis, a full service land planning and consulting firm that integrates a...
KunstlerCast: Preview 2010
January 14, 2010 05:02 - 3 minutes - 5.86 MBJHK and Duncan have returned from their road trip to Rochester and they have tons of stories to tell. In this mini preview episode, you'll here some excerpts from their travels on the highway, around the city and in the theater during a staged reading of JHK's play "Big Slide." The KunstlerCast will return in full next week. Note: This podcast contains some cursewords.
KunstlerCast #95: Where We're At '09
December 31, 2009 19:55 - 49 minutes - 22.8 MBJames Howard Kunstler takes a moment to examine where we're at as a culture at the end of 2009. JHK shares his thought process leading up to his 2010 annual forecast. Topics include healthcare, economics and foreign affairs.
KunstlerCast #94: Disneyfication of America
December 24, 2009 09:49 - 58 minutes - 26.8 MBJames Howard Kunstler explains the story behind Disneyland, Disney World, and Walt Disney's legacy on the American built environment.
KunstlerCast #93: College Campuses
December 17, 2009 18:01 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MBJames Howard Kunstler discusses the built environment on the American college campus and how modernist ideas about architecture are programming young people to become cynical. Kunstler talks about some of the ugliest campuses in the country, as well as some of the best. Even some of the best beaux arts Ivy league campuses have been thrashed by starchitecture, parking lots, and "diversity monomania." Sponsor: PostPeakLiving.com [Note to re-broadcasters: This show contains one curse word at ...
KunstlerCast #92: Long Emergency US Tour -Part 2
December 10, 2009 18:00 - 34 minutes - 24 MBIn this in part two of this discussion, James Howard Kunstler predicts how various regions of the United States will fare during the coming energy crisis that he anticipates. Kunstler refers to the coming crisis as "The Long Emergency." In this half of the discussion, Kunstler discusses: the Great Plains, the Upper Midwest, the Mid Atlantic and New England. He also talks about issues with fresh water scarcity. Sponsor: www.postpeakliving.com
KunstlerCast #91: Long Emergency US Tour -Part 1
December 03, 2009 17:37 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBIn this in installment, James Howard Kunstler predicts how various regions of the United States will fare during the coming energy crisis that he anticipates. Kunstler refers to the coming crisis as "The Long Emergency." In the first part of this discussion, Kunstler discusses: the Southern States, the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies. A listener caller reacts to the Happy Motoring podcast and Duncan closes the show with the Esso Happy Motoring song.
KunstlerCast #90: The Demise of Happy Motoring
November 26, 2009 19:39 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBJames Howard Kunstler believes that the Happy Motoring project is running out of time. Peak Oil and problems with alternative energy aren't the only issues facing future motorists. He thinks that car ownership will become less democratic in the future as cars become too expensive to buy without the current financing options. Kunstler dismisses Christopher Steiner's "$20 Per Gallon" book for assuming that an orderly procession of events will take us from $3 per gallon to $20. The conversation...
KunstlerCast #89: Everyday Architecture
November 19, 2009 17:26 - 47 minutes - 32.8 MBJames Howard Kunstler thinks that most modern buildings are not really architecture, they're just manufactured boxes. Whether it's suburban houses, or retail stores, the buildings of our everyday environment send the message that we don't care about ourselves or our surroundings. Kunstler tackles cartoon eateries, reflective glass office buildings, and otherwise good new urban buildings that lack proper ornamentation. We hear from a listener caller in Pittsburgh at the end of the show. Note...
KunstlerCast #88: In General
November 12, 2009 18:42 - 24 minutes - 28.1 MBJames Howard Kunstler speaks about the role of generalists in a world of hyper specialists. Although hyper-specialists are experts in their narrow fields, their work is often disregardful of the larger picture. Traffic engineers, for example, can move huge numbers of cars extremely efficiently, using fine-tuned formulas for curve ratios and grades, but their final product often makes downtowns un-walkable for pedestrians. A sense of hyper-individualism in U.S. culture is another obstacle th...
KunstlerCast #87: Boston
November 05, 2009 18:10 - 24 minutes - 33 MBJames Howard Kunstler thinks Boston is one of the few healthy major cities left in the U.S. He says gentrification has been a good thing for the city. He is disappointed with the outcome of Boston's "big dig" project, though. When the city finally placed a major elevated expressway underground, Boston squandered a great opportunity to repair the street-and-block fabric that the highway had previously disrupted. Instead, so-called environmentalists succeeded in advocating for a half-assed, ne...
KunstlerCast #86: The High Line
October 29, 2009 06:09 - 34 minutes - 39.6 MBJames Howard Kunstler discusses two major projects that have recently turned 19th century railroad structures into parks: the High Line in lower Manhattan and the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The High Line is a unique park in New York City, built upon a former elevated rail line that used to bring trains through buildings. Although the High Line gives reprieve to New Yorkers, Kunstler finds it to be an accidental freak of urban nature. We would benefit more from the delibera...
KunstlerCast #85: Is NYC The Green Metropolis?
October 22, 2009 15:40 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBInspired by David Owen's book "Green Metropolis," James Howard Kunstler examines the idea of Manhattan as a "green" city. Kunstler believes that, during his lifetime, New York has never been in as good shape as it is now. But he also thinks it will never be in as good shape again. Financial and energy problems in the future may turn our newest skyscrapers into one-generation buildings, outlandish monuments built during the twilight of an empire. Of all the boroughs, Kunstler thinks Brooklyn ...
KunstlerCast# 84: Urban Thinkers
October 15, 2009 18:09 - 27 minutes - 31.7 MBJames Howard Kunstler believes that urban design will be the next big philosophical battle for the hearts and minds of Americans. One of the most important tasks we will face is determining the size, scale and shape of the 21st Century city. Kunstler says current cities are not scaled to the energy realities of the future. We must downscale, reform and de-automobilze our cities. Urban thinkers and urban planners will serve as our guides throughout that process. In this episode, Kunstler retu...
KunstlerCast #83: Jane Jacobs
October 08, 2009 14:37 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBPlanetizen, an urban planning website and book publisher, recently conducted a poll about the Top 100 Urban Thinkers. Jane Jacobs, author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, made #1 on the list. Kunstler explains the story and importance of Jacobs. He also recollects interviewing her in 2000. Although at the time Jacobs was writing a book about the coming energy crisis, Dark Age Ahead, Kunstler said she didn't seem interested in talking about "Long Emergency" issues during their ...
KunstlerCast #82: Food in a World Made By Hand
October 01, 2009 16:13 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBIn this week's episode, listener Frank Aragona of the Agroinnovations Podcast asks James Howard Kunstler to talk about the role of food in Jim's post-peak oil novel World Made By Hand. Although the characters in the novel must overcome many obstacles, the food that they eat is delicious in general and is a vast improvement to the current American diet. Aragona thinks that perhaps food is the triumphant element in the novel. Kunstler talks about how horrendous spectacl and the tragic results ...
KunstlerCast #81: Los Angeles
September 24, 2009 17:43 - 34 minutes - 31.2 MBJames Howard Kunstler shares his thoughts on Los Angeles, California after a recent visit to Tinseltown. The motoring infrastructure of Los Angeles stretches from horizon to horizon. It is a provisional civilization in which all is subordinate to the car. However, Kunstler believes Los Angeles is more urban than people assume. He was particularly surprised by the pleasant side streets of West Hollywood. But Kunstler wonders how well Los Angeles would fare after even a minor disruption to the...
KunstlerCast #80: White and Green Rooftops
September 17, 2009 17:20 - 18 minutes - 17 MBProfessor Steven Chu, the US Energy Secretary, is advocating for people to paint their rooftops white in order to save on energy and to cut down on global warming. James Howard Kunstler reacts to this idea and also addresses the topic of rooftop gardens, or "green" roofs. This week's podcast is sponsored by New Society Publishers http://newsociety.com
KunstlerCast #79: Packing for France
September 10, 2009 17:16 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBA Listener caller asks James Howard Kunstler if now is a good time to emigrate from the U.S. to France. During his response, Kunstler poses the question: exactly what allegiance do you owe to your country if your country is making a foolish spectacle of itself? Kunstler explains why he himself has not packed his bags for Europe. And he covers the possibility of regional autonomy arising in the U.S. if various energy, climate, political and financial crises push us in that direction. Warning...
KunstlerCast #78: Litter & Pollution
September 03, 2009 18:29 - 40 minutes - 36.8 MBJames Howard Kunstler says one reason why American cities are so dirty is because we do not have a firm agreement about how to treat the public realm in this country. He believes that people will literally trash a place that they don't like or respect. And a lot of American space is difficult to respect. While suburbia contains meticulously groomed private yards, the public highways are often lined with impressive amounts of trash on the shoulder. On a larger scale, many corporations treat ...
KunstlerCast #77: Idiocracy
August 27, 2009 16:11 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MBJames Howard Kunstler believes that stupid Americans are exerting their political and cultural tyranny over the rest of us. No other society has produced a larger group of stupid people with as much money and means to express their thoughts, pleasures, ideas, biases, delights, and hatreds in things that can be broadcast, built or in some way imposed on other people. Those who object to this situation are called elitist, he says. JHK also explores the diminishing returns of information tec...
KunstlerCast #76: Man Caves
August 20, 2009 08:38 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBA "man cave" discovered in a government complex made national news earlier this month. Eminent new urbanist planner Andres Duany was prompted to speak out in defense of the man cave and "male space" in general, which he sees as a disappearing habitat in modern America. James Howard Kunstler and host Duncan Crary listen to a recording of Duany's "The Dilemma of Male Space" and further explore the concept of male space. Not only does Kunstler believe that male space is disappearing in suburbia...
KunstlerCast #75: Jet Skis in the Wilderness
August 13, 2009 16:22 - 32 minutes - 30 MBEven during a recession, Americans are pouring into our nation's "wilderness areas" with jet skis and cigarette boats in tow. After returning home from a visit to the Adirondack Mountains of New York, James Howard Kunstler serves up some thoughts on the gas guzzling toys we use to get off on in nature. Although we have a residual memory of what the American wilderness used to be like before World War II, the reality of our "nature areas" today is much different. Plastic weenie stands, ic...
KunstlerCast #74: Electric Society
August 06, 2009 17:27 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBJames Howard Kunstler explores the possibility of transitioning our society from fossil fuels to one that runs on electricity. This discussion is based on ideas presented in an episode of NOVA titled "Car of the Future" (Season 33, Episode 3). This episode of the KunstlerCast is sponsored by The Stakeholders, Inc.
KunstlerCast #73: The Horse Latitudes of Our Economy
July 30, 2009 17:09 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBJames Howard Kunstler believes that the consumer credit economy is over and that we are now moving on to the next phase of the U.S. economy. Kunstler provides some historical context on our current global economy and muses on the relationship between over-complexity and diminishing returns, which he believes is the "hallmark of all civilizations that come to grief."
KunstlerCast #72: Sprawling to Obesity
July 23, 2009 17:32 - 30 minutes - 28 MBThis May, the Committee on Environmental Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics confirmed that the design of U.S. communities (i.e. car-dependent suburbia) negatively affects the health of children (i.e. makes them obese). James Howard Kunstler explores the relationship between suburban sprawl and the declining health of Americans. SPONSORSHIP INFO: This week's sponsor is PostPeakLiving.com, offering online courses that prepare you for the post peak oil world. Use "KunstlerCast" as yo...
KunstlerCast #71: Doomers
July 16, 2009 14:35 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBJames Howard Kunstler and other commentators are often called "doomers" for their seemingly bleak outlook for modern society after the peak of oil production. Kunstler gives a brief introduction to other "doomer" authors, including Dmitri Orlov, John Michal Greer, Jay Hanson, and James Lovelock. Though Kunstler rejects the doomer label, he does believe that we are involved in a human system that needs to be severely pruned. He believes that resurrection and redemption are great themes in the...
KunstlerCast Grunt: Jacko
July 09, 2009 04:00 - 2 minutes - 2.42 MBJames Howard Kunstler joins host Duncan Crary for a quick KunstlerCast "grunt" to react to the recent death of pop star Michael Jackson. Kunstler thinks Michael Jackson represents many of the bad choices that America made about itself and also its difficulty in telling the truth about it. To read Kunstler's recent obituary for Jackson, visit http://kunstler.com/blog. The KunstlerCast will return in full next Thursday on July 16.
KunstlerCast #70: Commercial and Corporate Art in Public
June 25, 2009 14:19 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBJames Howard Kunstler takes a look at various types of public artwork on display in Troy NY, a small American city. Kunstler notes that many public murals in America attempt to put a human face in places where people are noticeably absent. He notices that 20th century commercial advertisements painted on building exteriors exhibit more skill than most 21st century "art." He analyzes a painted steel, corporate sculpture that adorns the public face of glass box corporate building. He also disc...