James Howard Kunstler may be the world’s most outspoken critic of suburban sprawl. He believes the end of the fossil fuels era will soon force a return to smaller-scale, agrarian communities -- and an overhaul of the most destructive features of postwar society.
Why you should listen to him:
James Howard Kunstler calls suburban sprawl "the greatest misallocation of resources the world has ever known." His arguments bring a new lens to urban development, drawing clear connections between physical spaces and cultural vitality.
Geography of Nowhere, published in 1993, presented a grim vision of America in decline -- a nation of cookie-cutter strip malls, vacuous city centers, and dead spaces wrought by what Kunstler calls the ethos of Happy Motoring: our society-wide dependence on the automobile.
The Long Emergency (2005) takes a hard look at energy dependency, arguing that the end of the fossil fuels era will force a return to smaller-scale, agrarian-focused communities and an overhaul of many of the most prominent and destructive features of postwar society.
His confrontational approach and propensity for doomsday scenarios make Kunstler a lightning rod for controversy and critics. But his magnificent rants are underscored with logic and his books are widely read, particularly by architectural critics and urban planners.
"The upside of Kunstler's anger is that he's getting people to sit up and take notice."Outside magazine
Blog Posts on TED
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Peak oil: Chevron CTO's best guess – October 26, 2007
News.com's blog reports on how much oil we have left, in the estimate of Chevron CTO Don Paul: About 1 trillion gallons that we can extract, and another trillion that, for now, we can't. In a hallway conversation with a News.com reporter, Chevron's Paul estimated that we will have consumed half of all the oil that ever existed -- 1.5 trillion gallons, out of 3 trillion -- by 2012. From the story:
Thus, peak oil--the theory that we're about to get into declining numbers on conventional oil--is probably real. However, Paul said, "I don't think it has to be the catastrophe that other people have predicted, because there are other ways to make fuel."
Watch TED.com in the coming weeks for more on alternative fuels, including Juan Enriquez's recent talk at TED's fall Salon, on new ways to grow energy -- related to his exciting work with Craig Venter at Synthetic Genomics. Or take the point of view of TEDTalks favorite James Howard Kunstler. Near the end of Kunstler's talk on modern suburbia, he describes a post-peak-oil future that actually doesn't sound that bad: We'll work and eat locally. We'll rely on our neighbors. We'll ... walk.
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James Howard Kunstler on TED.com – April 20, 2007
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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James Howard Kunstler's novel of a long emergency – May 7, 2008
"We are sleepwalking into the future," author James Howard Kunstler said in his biting 2004 TEDTalk, envisioning a bleak post-oil era for sprawling suburban America. His predictions come to life, now, in spite of the controversy surrounding them: Kunstler has written a novel, titled World Made by Hand, which details life in the "Long Emergency." On the book's website you can find a video trailer for the novel, an interview with Kunstler, as well as a sample chapter.
Following the likes of other TEDTalks favorites (such as Aubrey de Grey), Kunstler recently appeared on the Colbert Report to promote his book.
The novel follows a character named Robert Earle -- a carpenter who was once a corporate executive.
