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Will suburbs be the new SUV's?
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by mtippett | November 27, 2008 at 03:07 pm
368 views | 10 Recommendations | 5 comments
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If we don’t take the opportunity created by the current crisis, suburbs will be like an SUV in the next decade - unwieldy and unwanted.
This is a point that James Kunstler has been making for some time on his blog. Here is a characteristically brilliant exceprt from his latest post.
All the activities based on getting something-for-nothing are dead or dying now, in particular buying houses and cars on credit and so it should not be a surprise that the two major victims are the housing and car industries. Notice, by the way, that these are the two major ingredients of an economy based on building suburban sprawl. That's over, too. We're done building it and the stuff we've already built is destined to loose both money value and usefulness as the wrenching transition goes forward.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (5)
at 17:49 on November 27th, 2008
Call me an optimist, but i think going local, building community, investing in humanity, getting away from the combustion engine and polluting energy, etc. is a good idea.
In the Information Network Age this doesn't mean our lifestyles can't continue to improve radically, the way they have been at the same exponential rate that information, complexity and order have been increasing since the Big Bang, 13.9 billion years ago.
If trends continue the way they have been in solar (even the US Great Depression was a minor and temporary dip, in recent years), solar will be cost competitive with fossil fuels on the consumer market for making electricity in about 4 years and in about 19 years will be able to supply the world's energy needs by itself. In addition, breakthroughs and gains are being made at similar rates in wind, wave, tidal, geothermal and others. We have the technology for great mass transit and electric cars, and many will be on the mass market within years.
I think we do need to cut the bloodsucking bankers out of the loop, though- the Fed and Wall Street blew up the housing market into a global economic meltdown and have been having parties- they should be under investigation. The US Constitution authorizes Congress to coin money. Is there a downside (for the People and the public interest) to abolishing the Fed, banning interest and charging a tax on money?
The NATURAL ECONOMIC ORDER
According to this article, In Worgl, Austria in 1933, at a time the town had 1/3 unemployment thanks to the Great Depression (which the bankers caused by hoarding money and refusing to extend credit after they blew up that stock market), they tried it and it led to the rate of money circulation increasing drastically; the tax gave people an incentive to spend, invest long term in sustainability, hire people and loan money; the ban on interest stopped killing the value of money, prices dropped, the economy grew, money increased in value and there was full employment- everyone was a good credit risk. The central bank found out and shut it down; but we're living in the Network Age.
Seeking feedback from anyone, especially debunking- i don't like believing lies and BS.
at 14:13 on November 30th, 2008
"I think we do need to cut the bloodsucking bankers out of the loop"
The only way to do this is to stop using banks. Don't use credit cards, debit cards, bank machines, and if possible try to get paid in cash and pay in cash. Most importantly....don't store your money in any financial institution. Don't let them make money off your money.
Almost impossible but it should do it!
at 20:51 on December 2nd, 2008
not bad advice, Mike- i went with a credit union over a year ago; my money stays in my community and is invested soundly- plus i get better rates and fees, and have access to waaaaay more free ATMs than even BofAss thru the credit union coop network. Banks hate credit unions, and i suppose have made it as hard as possible to compete in the risky rigged markets the Wall Street Pigs have caused to blow up and meltdown- just as well.
at 06:57 on November 28th, 2008
Wonder too if the newspaper (&the ones publishing them) is going the same way as the SUV (&carmakers)...
at 18:19 on December 27th, 2008
Living in any neighbourhood of a metropolis would be ideal for many people if only urban and suburban planning were actually taken seriously by successive civil governments and officials didn't bow down to the dominance of the automobile. A wonderful book, A Pattern Language, set out community design principles for sustainable, people-friendly neighbourhoods 3 decades ago, and the principles stand the test of time. It's worth checking out.