James Kunstler gives a trenchant and very funny presentation explaining how the American space -- not outer or inner space, but the lamentably sterile space so prevalent around us in our towns and cities and buildings -- has brought us to a dead end. But he suggests that hope is on the way.
But this TED talk makes me wonder: Was H. L. Mencken right when he declared that "Americans have an absolute libido for the ugly"? Is our landscape the predictable result of business and individuals put up buildings in an entirely haphazard way, with no regard for civic beauty? Or is it the arrogance of modern architects and city planners that creates award-winning buildings that are dismal to actually live and work in? Or is Kunstler himself arguing for just another, albeit wiser form of planning? His emphasis on "living locally" and insisting that citizens, not consumers, collectively determine their surroundings suggests an intriguing mixture of both liberalism and small "c" conservatism.
