Enjoyed this presentation - Mr. Kunstler was very pointed in identifying the problem of sprawl. I agree with him on his criticism of stark architectural designs of public buildings that add insult to injury with wasted space inside and out. The concept he presented of creating a self-contained community is being tested today in several areas across the state - attached and detached single family housing, multi-family housing, retail for service and support of the community. All in all though they are still bedroom in concept in that the people still need to travel to where they work. In these communities they save on fuel costs once they get home in that they don't have to travel far for groceries, a beer and sandwich or the drycleaning. I agree with his thought that we can use the areas already developed - instead of turning new land to build a bigger box store look at the vacant areas first and try to rehab them - we are at the perfect junction for such a project with the economy forcing a lot of vacancies on residential and commercial properties.
Growth management is an interesting topic and as we learned so many issues such as transportation, pollution, health, land use and economics come into play as we struggle with ways to better use our resources and protect the resources we have. However all of these need to be put into perspective to solve the problem. I agree with "Smart Growth" but like the concept of "Green" is it becoming a concept that is broadly defined and misunderstood. Rural communities in an effort to "save land" define smart growth as restricting new home constructin to 1 acre of land or greater.
I like how the speaker talkes about spaces in America that people care about and not. Spaces well designed, it's most likely people will be around to hang out. The speaker also talk about "the mutilated urbanism" and he says that there is a general idea in America which is the remedy to mutilated urbanism is nature, and in fact the remedy to mutilated urbanism is good urbanism, good buildings.
James Kunslter is the man. A little while back, I had watched a show called Prophets of Doom, which featured an assortment of possibilities that could lead to the fall of civilization. He was one of the speakers on that show, and he helped spur the start of my interest in peak oil and localization. I like a lot of the ideas that he has, although, he can get a little radical and over the top. It is important to create a sense of place. I remember having that sense when I was younger, living with my parents, and it was an integral part of my past. Where I live now, I have no desire to mingle, and I hardly feel the urge to roam or explore my neighborhood. In fact, a task such as going to the grocery store or anything of that sort is mildly annoying to me. It’s an inconvenience, and when I do go out, I feel like I’m part of a cattle herd being ushered through the shoots. Even when I’m driving down the road, I don’t really want to glance at my surroundings, because there’s nothing worth sightseeing. There aren’t any people around to amuse you. There may be another store and then eventually, another store in its place, but there’s nothing to appreciate. That’s why I enjoy Kunstler’s passion. When you think about history, it feels like we have advanced so much, but when you listen to someone like J.K. talk, you start to question the way that things are. It’s as though we have come some far with technology but are becoming further removed from an interactive, societal structure. We want so much control over our environments, so we isolate ourselves in suburban areas and act like we’re not a part of the rest of the world. It’s like what James said about the mock country house being a 24 hour t.v. that broadcasts a program saying that you’re normal while Timmy is loading his oozie in the basement. People are afraid. I’d imagine that it was a lot easier back in the day when there wasn’t a steady stream of bad news media telling you horror stories about your fellow man and their heinous crimes.
James Kunstler Dissects Suburbia
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this presentation - Mr. Kunstler was very pointed in identifying the problem of sprawl. I agree with him on his criticism of stark architectural designs of public buildings that add insult to injury with wasted space inside and out. The concept he presented of creating a self-contained community is being tested today in several areas across the state - attached and detached single family housing, multi-family housing, retail for service and support of the community. All in all though they are still bedroom in concept in that the people still need to travel to where they work. In these communities they save on fuel costs once they get home in that they don't have to travel far for groceries, a beer and sandwich or the drycleaning. I agree with his thought that we can use the areas already developed - instead of turning new land to build a bigger box store look at the vacant areas first and try to rehab them - we are at the perfect junction for such a project with the economy forcing a lot of vacancies on residential and commercial properties.
October 1, 2011 Class
ReplyDeleteGrowth management is an interesting topic and as we learned so many issues such as transportation, pollution, health, land use and economics come into play as we struggle with ways to better use our resources and protect the resources we have. However all of these need to be put into perspective to solve the problem. I agree with "Smart Growth" but like the concept of "Green" is it becoming a concept that is broadly defined and misunderstood. Rural communities in an effort to "save land" define smart growth as restricting new home constructin to 1 acre of land or greater.
I like how the speaker talkes about spaces in America that people care about and not. Spaces well designed, it's most likely people will be around to hang out. The speaker also talk about "the mutilated urbanism" and he says that there is a general idea in America which is the remedy to mutilated urbanism is nature, and in fact the remedy to mutilated urbanism is good urbanism, good buildings.
ReplyDeleteJames Kunslter is the man. A little while back, I had watched a show called Prophets of Doom, which featured an assortment of possibilities that could lead to the fall of civilization. He was one of the speakers on that show, and he helped spur the start of my interest in peak oil and localization. I like a lot of the ideas that he has, although, he can get a little radical and over the top.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to create a sense of place. I remember having that sense when I was younger, living with my parents, and it was an integral part of my past. Where I live now, I have no desire to mingle, and I hardly feel the urge to roam or explore my neighborhood. In fact, a task such as going to the grocery store or anything of that sort is mildly annoying to me. It’s an inconvenience, and when I do go out, I feel like I’m part of a cattle herd being ushered through the shoots. Even when I’m driving down the road, I don’t really want to glance at my surroundings, because there’s nothing worth sightseeing. There aren’t any people around to amuse you. There may be another store and then eventually, another store in its place, but there’s nothing to appreciate. That’s why I enjoy Kunstler’s passion.
When you think about history, it feels like we have advanced so much, but when you listen to someone like J.K. talk, you start to question the way that things are. It’s as though we have come some far with technology but are becoming further removed from an interactive, societal structure. We want so much control over our environments, so we isolate ourselves in suburban areas and act like we’re not a part of the rest of the world. It’s like what James said about the mock country house being a 24 hour t.v. that broadcasts a program saying that you’re normal while Timmy is loading his oozie in the basement. People are afraid. I’d imagine that it was a lot easier back in the day when there wasn’t a steady stream of bad news media telling you horror stories about your fellow man and their heinous crimes.