I’ve written
before about James Howard Kunstler. He’s perhaps the nearest thing urbanism has
to a rabid bulldog. I usually agree with
most of what Kunstler has to say, although I often cringe at how he expresses
himself. I prefer not to describe urbanism as “smart
growth” for fear of appearing condescending to folks who haven’t yet seen the
light. I similarly worry that Kunstler
runs the risk of unnecessarily radicalizing the advocates of sprawl.
With that
said, I still acknowledge that a Kunstler rant can be great fun. And the Chris Christie bridge scandal gave
Kunstler a fine opportunity to become apoplectic.
I don’t
agree with everything Kunstler writes about Christie or New Jersey, but I think
Kunstler speaks a lot of truth, even if the volume level is higher than I would
have set it. Take a read and see what you think.
If I haven’t
exhausted your willingness to read links, let me offer another one. Rather than urbanism, this one is more about
how a food craze grew out of a woman’s attempt to strengthen her hold on mental
health. But there are a couple of
urbanism insights that caught my attention in a very fundamental way. One has to do with building relationships
with strangers on a street corner. The
other speaks to how to build community among the patrons of a coffee shop. And both use coconuts.
If that sounds
interesting, take a look at this story about the growing toast craze.
As always,
your questions or comments will be appreciated.
Please comment below or email me.
And thanks for reading. - Dave Alden (davealden53@comcast.net)
