Summary
"The U.S. economy is crumbling because the way we conduct the activities of daily life is insane relative to our circumstances. We've spent 60 years ramping up a suburban living arrangement that has suddenly entered a state of failure, and all its accessories and furnishings are failing in concert. The far-flung McHouse tracts are becoming both useless and worthless in the face of gasoline prices that will never be cheap again. The strip malls and office 'parks' are following the residential real estate off a cliff. The retail tenants of all those places are hemorrhaging customers who have maxed out every last credit card. The lack of business is now leading to substantial layoffs. The airline industry is dying and will probably cease to exist in its familiar form in 24 months. The trucking industry is dying, threatening the entire just-in-time distribution system of things that even people with little money to spend still need, like food." (http://jameshowardkunstler.typepad.com/)
Since the 1970s, New Zealand has had "enabling" urban planning rules that have allowed mixes of high-, medium- and low-density housing and mixed uses of retail, etc. Lots have ranged in size, but there would hardly be any suburbs built exclusively for single-family homes on one-acre lots. Consequently, Auckland's density per square mile is about double that of most U.S. cities of similar age and size. However, we are already "densified" and further density increases are strongly resisted because curbside parking is already in short supply and inner-city districts are noticing the increased congestion, noise and loss of amenities.The car was a miracle. It eliminated the pollution and released huge amounts of food for human consumption. In 1910, 40 per cent of the grain grown in the United States went to feed horses. This "extra" grain fed the population explosion that followed.See the full content of this document
Extract
'Katastrophists' Lack Imagination
$10-a-gallon gasoline will transform cities in ways that contradict old-think environmental assumptions
Owen McShaneOne of the most common topics on blog sites and newsgroups here in New Zealand and around the world is: "What does the end of cheap oil mean to the future of our cities?" As usual, those who combine a yearning for catastrophe with a hatred of both the automobile and the suburban lifestyle, as detailed by urban pundit and author James Kunstler, have leapt to their own self-evident conclusion. The Kunstler Katastrophists are convinced the suburbs are no longer viable and will be ab...See the full content of this document
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