James Kunstler: How bad architecture wrecked cities

http://www.ted.com 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.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers are invited to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, politics and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

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[MusicalMeanderings2]

Interesting connections between urban design, architecture and mental health. Always seemed obvious to me, yet people are still trying to blame random chemical imbalances and genetics. Good social/cultural/familial denial and great for pharm sales, but not reality based.

[Leander290]

That's quite an impressive off topic mini rant you achieved there, in such a short space. I can't help feeling you would have done better to simply take in what the talk had to offer, without immediately subverting the message with bumper sticker politics.

[clovis86]

did you go off your meds?

[monkeybananayum]

Wow, he is spot on. I;ve always sensed that something was "off" with the way our society and cities are structures in the US. Like the lack of social areas in cities and the feelings of isolation. The lack of a feeling of connection with other people. But I've never heard anyone articulate it this way.

[Bruno de Moura]

Great to see the politeness and well manner of the ones discussing in the comments on this video. Hatred-filled arguments and face-spitting, blabber, nonsense speech and simply nonsense is the topic, is the trend, not architecture or whatever relates to it.

Love this world, hugs to all s2

[Mish Mishmish]

Austria and all the Countries around it have a wonderful transit system, education system, wonderful architecture. And for every fast food shop, wal mart, and car lot/gas station we have, they have parks, museums, symphonies, libraries, art galleries.

And we wonder why people don't feel like learning anything in a place that has no identity. No wonder it's so hard to differentiate between any major american city.

[Mish Mishmish]

We threw out everything America's economy was famous for. Agriculture, the railroads- all for cars, car lots, gas stations, fast food shops, dirty book stores, wal marts, laundromats and cheap hotels.

that is our Economy, that is what people are getting obese from. You can enjoy your obesity and wasteland and have your ambulances need to struggle to pass all the congestion just to get to sick people. And all the while blaring sirens around our comfortable, colorless, and hideous homes.

[rfwbuck]

One of the interesting traits about cities is that they tend to normalize - commutes are virtually the same across the board, and are generally shortest in suburbs where people aren't dependent on bloated transit systems. This is despite Kunstler's assumptions about congestion, which are based purely on his own musings, which have an awful track record of success on virtually every topic. Austria has ambulances too; when you're sick it doesn't matter how short your walk to the market is.

[rfwbuck]

"cluttered up our towns"? What does that mean? I'm assuming your point is that different uses exist and aren't limited by 5-minute walking radii? . We are "car-dependent" here b/c we took the opportunity that modernization afforded to live at a large scale that could accommodate comfortable living and larger economies. We weren't hemmed in by 500-yr old city structures. Partly hence why our economy has grown and Austria's has stagnated. I'm still not sure what this has to do with ambulances.

[Mish Mishmish]

Actually I've been researching way more than this TED talk. As for the ambulance. Our emergency care system is really necessary- Poor urban city planning done by the terrible corporations that build the cheap and plastic architecture , have cluttered up our towns and is making it incredibly difficulty to just get things done on time. No wonder places like Austria are consider among the best to commute and walk and study. they demand the best.

[rfwbuck]

Lol. You watched a 20-minute tirade of nonsensical dickishness, scrolled through hundreds of pretentious, dickish comments, and now you're calling me a dick for questioning it? What exactly is your point about ambulances? Why do I sense that whatever point you're trying to make will end up being easily refuted by 2 seconds of thinking and 2 or 3 basic facts? I'd love to have a debate, but I need you to engage an actual point or idea...we all know the tired NU snake oil...get on to a real point.

[Mish Mishmish]

I've read a lot of what you posted, it's all condescending and presumptuous. You aren't here for conversation and debate, you are here to be a douche. Go be a douche in a walmart parking lot, the cracked asphalt and visual pollution will complement your desire to be a dick.

To simplify urban sprawl as "the way people arrange their houses" is laughable. You know what is nutty? An ambulance getting into a car accident, trying to rescue another car accident. A result of poor urban planning.