Geography Of Nowhere: The Rise And Declineof America'S Man-Made Landscape

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Summary: Grumpy old man visits the suburbs.
Review: "The Geography of Nowhere" doesn't say much about the problems of suburban development that Jane Jacobs didn't cover much better in "The Death and Life of Great American Cities". I'd recommend Garreau's "Edge City", instead, for a dissenting view on urban planning.

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Summary: "There's no 'there' there"-find out where America went wrong
Review:
Starting from the first colonial settlements continuing to the present day, Kunstler examines the evolution of the built environment of the United States with a critical and satirical eye that rings convincingly true. At once stimulated by the industrial revolution, and advanced further by the proliferation of the private automobile, Kunstler charts the degradation of the human qualities of American cities and towns--resulting in the "generica" so prevalent in urban America today: endless tract home developments, strip mall madness, faceless and soulless architecture, and decaying inner cities juxtaposed with burgeoning suburbia. Kunstler's analysis goes beyond the mere aesthetic, exposing the profound social and economic ramifications of a "throwaway society" that, giving no thought to creating places worth living in, has created a land of "unplaces"--a "geography of nowhere". A sobering read that is destined to inspire Americans to rethink and reshape their communities for a more sustainable and aesthetically satisfying future.

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Summary: Shows how common sense in planning is uncommon!
Review: A book you have to read if you are concerned about sprawl. Tells why America everywhere is starting to look the same-cookie cutter subdivisions, etc. Buy this book-you will be glad you did.

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Summary: Hurrah!
Review: A desperately needed howl of outrage describing the nature and origins of the U.S. landscape of ugliness and waste. While this book doesn't delve so deeply into redress of the issues (the author covers that territory in his follow up book), he does paint in garish colors the problems we face. Some complain about the complainers, but complacency got us into this mess, it seems. This work stands as a sort of time capsule of current times in many ways, and as such is a book to be shared.

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Summary: almost, but not quite...
Review: A looming 21-year High School reunion has led me to ponder the past, especially the town I grew up in. I have been reading The Geography of Nowhere by James Howard Kuntsler, a book which explores the rise of suburbia and automobile culture in America. Kuntsler explores the effects of modernist design philosophy (Le Corbusier, Gropius, Bauhaus etc. ) . Although Kunstler's book is by no means a complete history, his insights are provocative. His basic thesis is that the rise of the automobile has led to the development of a banal and meaningless "geography of nowhere". In other words, since the 1920s, Americans have pursued a single-minded vision when it comes to urban development: namely treating our built surroundings as disposable commodities to be bought and sold, with little regard to aesthetics.

Growing up in a suburb, I experienced this sort of fake-non-reality-bubble of what a city should be, or what it should do for its residents. There was always nothing to do, nowhere to go. Fortunately, in those days, creative people created their own "scene", no matter how lame it was. Such a naive scene based on our libertine tastes and overbearing ignorance. Of course, conformity was the rule.

And we all nearly s--t ourselves when we got behind the wheel of our first car. It was almost like and 5-year-old's first trip to Disneyland. It was like that first sexual experience. It was an epiphany, of sorts.

Little did we realize that our addiction to auto travel would bring such a high cost to our lonely empty souls. Who ever thought that being so cheap would cost us so much?


Rating:
Summary: Dead on, in most places
Review: Although the middle of the book maybe a bit dry for my tastes, The Geography of Nowhere traces through human history the evolution of cities, and places, and how we have reached the point of suburbia, where so many of us live and reside presently. Suburbia is noplace, where every place is like every other place. He uses several examples as well. This book is enjoyable for anyone who feels disenchanted with American suburbia, and for any and all considering architecture or urban planning as a career.

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Summary: Witty in lieu of insight...
Review: As a general study into the well documented shortcomings of contemporary cities (suburbia/automotive society), Kunstler has done an excellent job of expressing his turmoil. His wit and poise in a literary setting are helpful in describing a plight that many have unknowingly settled for. As such, I would highly recommend the book for those of varied backgrounds who are academically unfamiliar with the past century (+) of urban design misfortunes. For those, like myself, who come from a design background, the text is more enjoyable for its wit than it is for its intellectual significance. This is not to say that I found the book to lack poise or effort, but rather scope and insight. In particular, I found the author's overbearing Neo-Traditionalist opinions to be misplaced and ignorant. As an example, I only need to point to his summary chapter which claims to examine recent trends in urban thoughts. Here, we see such examples as Duany and Plater-Zyberk's Seaside and Peter Calthorpe's Pedestrian Pockets. There is no mention, however, of more innovative, yet quite similar studies as those of Michael Sorkin or Steven Holl. My fear, I suppose, is that the nostalgic tone (that to his credit he doesn't hide) is almost irrelevant to contemporary discourse as it is posed. In fact, projects like Seaside are still continuing the 'progressive' mentality of development. Constructive urban planning needs a more holistic approach to the past (whether we value it or not) including the last 60 years. Suburbia, cars, television and fast food are here to stay. We need to focus our thoughts more towards evolving the existing fabric in all its manifestations.

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Summary: Nothing like an self-proclaimed elite dicating our tastes
Review: As has already been well-documented by other reviewers, Kuntsler does a decent job in terms of putting old, worn-out critiques of sprawl into lively prose. But what Kuntsler fails to do--dreadfully so--is to acknowleddge what Americans have gained by giving up cute little homogenous downtowns for WalMart, the suburbs, and the car. Many Americans choose this existence because it means a larger, richer personal realm, cheaper prices that buy more and better consumer goods, and a protected sphere in which to raise a family. Kuntlser is clearly within his rights to want to live a life of communitarianism and public interaction, but there's no place for him to tell others that they've been "duped" into living a suburban life that he dislikes. People live in the suburbs because they enjoy its great convenience--and "convenience" is simply that which allows you do things that you enjoy more often, and things that you dislike less. For Mr. Kusntler, this suburban world may seem soul-less, but for those who choose it is a path to a better life. Americans do not need Kuntsler's elitism and paternalism to tell us what we should like and what we should find fulfilling. Perhaps it simply that the vast majority of us have voted with our feet and rejected Mr. Kunstler's values that leads him to adopt such an extreme tone.

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Summary: Validation for Feeling Disgusted by Sprawl
Review: Ever since I was a child touring the downtown areas of Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Detroit..I have not been able to put my finger on why I felt BETTER in those places..something about these downtown areas in these cities felt more real..definitely more real than the outlying areas that have sadly grown around these cores in southeastern lower Michigan like a cancer. In reading this book, I felt that I had at last had my questions answered..and it put me on the road to my quest. Kunstler details exactly why the finite planning that used to be prevalent in the design of cities has gone by the wayside..due in part to shoddy zoning laws, the automobile..and the opinon of society that "NEW" must surely mean better. A definite must-read for all who are interested in urban renewal, city planning, choosing a better place to live, architecture..etc. etc.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Observations
Review: Excellent observations of the way our current landscape is changing.