Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape

Book Description

The Geography of Nowhere traces America's evolution from a nation of Main Streets and coherent communities to a land where every place is like no place in particular, where the cities are dead zones and the countryside is a wasteland of cartoon architecture and parking lots.

In elegant and often hilarious prose, Kunstler depicts our nation's evolution from the Pilgrim settlements to the modern auto suburb in all its ghastliness. The Geography of Nowhere tallies up the huge economic, social, and spiritual costs that America is paying for its car-crazed lifestyle. It is also a wake-up call for citizens to reinvent the places where we live and work, to build communities that are once again worthy of our affection. Kunstler proposes that by reviving civic art and civic life, we will rediscover public virtue and a new vision of the common good. "The future will require us to build better places," Kunstler says, "or the future will belong to other people in other societies."

Customer Reviews:

luddite indictment of a car .......2007-05-22

The book is well written and provides a lot of facts, though many of these may be known anyhow. However, the author's pet idea - that the car is THE reason for aberrations in suburban development - begins to be more and more irritating as we read on; there is one large chapter devoted to the car and road planning, but if this were not enough the point gets reiterated every few paragraphs. Perhaps indeed the car is the ultimate evil of modern civilization; if only we didn't have to reread this again and again.
As a form of compensation, we get very limited look at the social, economic and demographic causes of all landscape changes during past century. Yes, there is a mention of some historical events, such as WWII, but it disappears under the weight of all those cars blamed for commercial strips, parking lots and suburban housing. Somehow, the population growth, which the strips, suburbs, parking lots and cars try to accomodate, gets overlooked. But then, we get also a healthy dose of nostagia after the goode olde times, when towns were small, kids could play in the streets without a risk of traffic accident, and farms were the base of economy. I could not escape the impression that the author's leading motive was to lament the lifestyles gone.

A Worthy Rant.......2007-02-08

This is book is largely a rant--well-researched and eloquent--but a rant nonetheless. Overwrought with cynicism, it is hard to distinguish Kunstler's reasonable concerns from his own sense of nostalgia. He draws some erroneous parallels (e.g. holding Disney World to the standard of anything but an amusement park) but does make an effective point regarding how U.S. citizens were ill-prepared for the after effects of the heyday of the automobile.

Fundamentally, Kunstler's cynicism aside, he's an advocate for renewed interest in civic planning, decreased dependency on fossil fuels, and models of sustainability. He presents Portland, OR as the best model for a city and the community of Seaside, FL as the model for a smaller town. He sees urban planning as the opportunity to develop while respecting the present landscape and enriching sense of community and public space.

The weakness of the book lies in the author's bitterness, which disguises his very real passion for the topic. The saving grace is that given most of his likely readership, he is preaching to the choir who understands his anger. This choir will understand that Kunstler embeds important lessons in his bleak diatribe--lessons worth embracing.

Kunstler's Gift of Entertaining While Informing.......2006-11-29

I have little more to add to the many thorough reviews already posted, so I'll just note what grabbed me: it was the rare book that was fun to read, even while dealing with serious societal problems in a thoughtful manner. A great introduction to community development issues.

highway to hell.......2006-02-01

Last night in his State of the Union speech, G. W. Bush pointed out the obvious fact that America depends far too heavily on oil to support its lifestyle. Whoever programmed him to say that must have been reacting to the mounting unrest over the crises associated with big oil: war, pollution, corruption, and extreme flabbiness.

Most of the problems associated with oil are problems associated with cars, and cars are the focus of J. H. Kunstler's book. Published in the early 90s, The Geography of Nowhere describes the impact of automobiles on the development of the U.S. Apparently, things started to go south during the Depression, when people were driven out of cities by poverty and the diminishing quality of life in the tenements. Fueling the flight to the suburbs were New Deal programs to build roads and cheap houses. In the ensuing decades the American landscape was built to serve cars rather than people, and that is what Kunstler is angry about. His main criticisms are:

1) A lot of the architecture, both residential and commerical, is very ugly. Buildings are constructed quickly and cheaply, and without regard to their surroundings. After all, what's the point of worrying about your surroundings if people are just going to drive directly to their destination? On this point, Kunstler is angry and sarcastic, though often funny. However, his tone is unfortunate, because ugliness is ultimately a matter of opinion, and I would bet that most people would say they are quite happy living in their suburban boxes. Kunstler argues that people are happy this way because they don't know any better, and he's probably right, but as far as I know there is no good way to force people to appreciate beauty.

2) When you step back from the individual buildings, and look at the organization of towns and cities, things start to look really grim. Here Kunstler's got a good point. Throughout most of America, the landscape is zoned into residential and commercial districts, which are separated by long stretches of four-lane roads. The residential zones are further divided by income (and to a lesser extent, by race and ethnicity), impeding the development of anything like a genuine community. The result is a weird mix of intolerance and paranoia that pervades the culture of what has historically been a relatively progressive nation.

3) At an even larger scale, the impact of cars on the nation and on the world seems absolutely dire. The Geography of Nowhere was written before car companies had figured out how to trick yuppies into buying pick-up trucks, and by now there is a broad scientific consensus that the Earth's climate is getting warmer as a result of human activities. Yet people continue to buy bigger and bigger SUVs, and to drive them longer distances to get to work or to buy their microwaveable burritos. It's like a hideous inversion of the idea of public transportation, in which every individual drives his or her own bus to work. Here it's not merely a matter of personal preference -- it's only possible for an individual to drive an SUV if other people subsidize the cost of cheap oil and environmental degradation. In all likelihood these other people haven't been born yet.

Ultimately, someone has to make decisions about the development of towns and cities, and there's no reason in a democratic society why these decisions have to be based on short-term economic interests. Although most suburbanites are probably not miserable in their surroundings, I doubt if anyone would consider their dependence on cars to be ideal. The Geography of Nowhere is a good way to start thinking about kicking the habit.

The Rise and Decline of Humanity.......2006-01-01

I believe that many of the ways we view our lives and live it is directly related to the relation of space, especially where our homes are and what we do daily.

Kunstler points out very cunningly and sometimes with anger how horrible America has set up its cities - cities of which I usually refer to as 'Suburbia World' and America, for a large part, really has turned into a world of suburbia, of endless homes stacked next to each other in a large sea, of which all its inhabitants commute to a Office park some 30 miles away.

Anyway, although Kunstler does not cover as in-depth as I believe he should, he points out many architectural and planning elements that even I, as an architecture student in Los Angeles, have never truly observed. He so well argues against suburban development that I am, even more than before, inspired to work on architectural projects that have nothing to do with suburban qualities (although this shall be very difficult).

If you are looking for a book to explain how horrible our cities really are (especially in the suburban world) and have never had the vocabulary to express that please read this book, it is something I wish everyone could understand and react to.

Land, Wind, and Hard Words: A Story of Navajo Activism

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Compelling and beautiful storytelling
Amazingly accurate and insightful
Dazzling

Land, Wind, and Hard Words: A Story of Navajo Activism
John W. Sherry
Manufacturer: University of New Mexico Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

In the early 1990s anthropologist John Sherry lived with Leroy Jackson and Adella Begaye, leaders of DinÃ© CARE, a Navajo organization dedicated to protecting the environment and its links to Navajo culture. Land, Wind, and Hard Words is his account of the founding, activities, and evolution of DinÃ© CARE, whose original mission was to protect the Navajo forest from the ravages of industrial logging. SherryÂ's intimate account of the daily lives of this group of activists reminds us of the threats facing local communities and the people trying to defend them. Not least among these threats are the many demands of the Â“outside world.Â” From meetings with lawyers or do-gooder environmentalists to the cutthroat world of fundraising, every encounter with outsiders affects the work, draining time and resources away from direct participation with the community and even affecting the way activists think.

Because of his friendship with the Jacksons, Sherry was on the scene during the aftermath of the mysterious death of Leroy Jackson in 1993. His vivid account of the resulting journalistic feeding frenzy and heightened conflict on the reservation adds an unusual dimension to this intimate and unpretentious story.

Customer Reviews:

Compelling and beautiful storytelling.......2005-04-04

This is a beautifully crafted personal account of the early years of the Navajo environmental justice organization Dine CARE (Citizens Against Ruining our Environment), which has worked for more sustainable forestry practices, protested the siting of toxic waste dumps near native communities, and fought for restitution for Navajo uranium miners. The author demonstrates an admirable awareness of the feelings and motivations of the community and individuals he is describing, while remaining conscious of the limitations inherent in his perspective as a white outsider.

"Land, Wind, & Hard Words" interweaves the narrative of how members of this community came together to found Dine CARE (including descriptions of some of their early struggles against government and industries) with excerpts of Navajo legends and more academic commentary on topics such as the disconnect between such grassroots groups and the fundraising system that claims to want to support them.

Anyone interested in the environmental justice movement will find this book a rich source of information on its potential and challenges. Anyone interested in native issues, Navajo history, or the Southwest in general, will find it a compelling story. I encourage everyone to buy this book - all royalties go to support the ongoing work of Dine CARE.

Amazingly accurate and insightful.......2002-05-30

Dr. Sherry's unique humor and his insighful wit made this book a pleasure to read. It's obvious that Dr. Sherry is a man of values, courage, and spontaneity. I applaud Dr. Sherry for his efforts in really bringing to light the activism portrayed in the chronicle. While Sherry's other works were "farcicle," this one has all the makings of a gem.

My only concern is that this book is repetitive and obligatory at times. Dr. Sherry, you might want to be aware of this in future publications.

Dazzling.......2002-05-09

Excellent read on fascinating topic. Kudos to Mr. Sherry on writing a book that is academically rigorous yet accessible at the same time.

Average customer rating:

Decent coverage, wretched writing...

American Politics and the Environment
Glenn Sussman , Byron W. Daynes , and Jonathan P. West
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0205296432

Book Description

Sussman, Glenn; Daynes, Byron W.; West, Jonathan P. American Politics and the Environment*\ In order to effect change in environmental policy, it is necessary to understand the politics of environmental decision-making and how political actors operate within political institutions. American Politics and the Environment offers a unique behavioral and institutional approach, this new book provides readers with a consistent theoretical framework they can use from chapter to chapter to help them better grasp the material. Three boxed features in each chapter-one highlighting a person, one presenting a case study, and another investigating the issue of air pollution-offer real world examples and illustrations and provide the opportunity for analysis. For those interested in environmental politics, and environmental policy making.

Customer Reviews:

Decent coverage, wretched writing..........2004-09-07

I've been required to read this book for a college class I'm currently taking, and I think the only way to get through it (I'm in the middle now) without pulling my hair out and cursing the author(s) is to leave this review. The writing is annoying. Moreover, consequently, at the same time, nonetheless, although, however, at the same time, then again, also, furthermore -- every other sentence seems to begin with a transitional phrase of some sort or something similar, as if the author's very thinking process relies on juxtapositions and introductory clauses... it's just annoying. Sometimes it comes across as 2-dimensional thinking on a 3-dimensional subject. The information provided seems adequate, but it's hard to respect a book when you can't get past the writing. It sounds too much like someone pretending to be educated -- I hope the research involved had higher standards.

Windshield Wilderness: Cars, Roads, and Nature in Washington's National Parks (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books)

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Windshield Wilderness: Cars, Roads, and Nature in Washington's National Parks (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books)
David Louter
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Driven Wild: How the Fight Against Automobiles Launched the Modern Wilderness Movement (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books)
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Dispossessing the Wilderness: Indian Removal and the Making of the National Parks
The Seattle Bungalow: People And Houses, 1900-1940 (A Samuel & Althea Stroum Book)

ASIN: 0295986069

Book Description

In his engaging book Windshield Wilderness, David Louter explores the relationship between automobiles and national parks, and how together they have shaped our ideas of wilderness. National parks, he argues, did not develop as places set aside from the modern world, but rather came to be known and appreciated through technological progress in the form of cars and roads, leaving an enduring legacy of knowing nature through machines.

With a lively style and striking illustrations, Louter traces the history of Washington State's national parks -- Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades -- to illustrate shifting ideas of wilderness as scenic, as roadless, and as ecological reserve. He reminds us that we cannot understand national parks without recognizing that cars have been central to how people experience and interpret their meaning, and especially how they perceive them as wild places.

Windshield Wilderness explores what few histories of national parks address: what it means to view parks from the road and through a windshield. Building upon recent interpretations of wilderness as a cultural construct rather than as a pure state of nature, the story of autos in parks presents the preservation of wilderness as a dynamic and nuanced process.Windshield Wilderness illuminates the difficulty of separating human-modified landscapes from natural ones, encouraging us to recognize our connections with nature in national parks.

New Urbanism and American Planning: The Conflict of Cultures (Planning, History and the Environment)
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New Urbanism and American Planning: The Conflict of Cultures (Planning, History and the Environment)
E. Talen
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criticism | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0415701333

Book Description

Showing how New Urbanism is simply American urbanism as it has been evolving since the nineteenth century, this is a history not of what has been achieved but rather of what planners have sought to achieve--a history of the quest for good cities.

In her survey of the last hundred or so years of urbanist ideals, the author identifies four approaches to city-making, which she terms "cultures": incrementalism, plan-making, planned communities, and regionalism. She shows how these cultures connect, overlap, and conflict one with another and how most of the ideas about building better settlements are so recurrent.

She concludes with an assessment of the successes and failures of the four cultures and the need to integrate these ideas as a means to promoting good urbanism in America.

Public Power, Private Dams: The Hells Canyon High Dam Controversy (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books)

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Public Power, Private Dams: The Hells Canyon High Dam Controversy (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books)
Karl Boyd Brooks
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Boise, Idaho 1882-1910: Prosperity in Isolation
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ASIN: 0295985976

Book Description

In the years following World War II, the world's biggest dam was almost built in Hells Canyon on the Snake River in Idaho. Karl Boyd Brooks tells the story of the dam controversy, which became a referendum not only on public-power expansion but also on the environmental implications of the New Deal's natural -- resources and economic policy.

Private-power critics of the Hells Canyon High Dam posed difficult questions about the implications of damming rivers to create power and to grow crops. Activists, attorneys, and scientists pioneered legal tactics and political rhetoric that would help to define the environmental movement in the 1960s. The debate, however, was less about endangered salmon or threatened wild country and more about who would control land and water and whether state enterprise or private capital would oversee the supply of electricity.

By thwarting the dam's construction, Snake Basin irrigators retained control over water as well as economic and political power in Idaho, putting the state on a postwar path that diverged markedly from that of bordering states. In the end, the opponents of the dam were responsible for preserving high deserts and mountain rivers from radical change.

Book Description

"The New Politics of American Trade: Trade, Labor and the Environment", supplement to "American Trade Politics" by I.M. Destler and Peter J. Balint, shows how trade advocates and labor and environmental skeptics differ significantly in both their substantive views and their political and organizational cultures. The authors demonstrate how this new challenge differs from that of traditional trade protectionism, likening it instead to the debate a century ago over whether and how to regulate American capitalism for social purposes. The analysis leads to a set of recommendations aimed at constructive compromise and a new political foundation for US trade policy leadership.

The New Politics of American Trade: Trade, Labor, and the Environment ISBN 0881322695

American Trade Politics, 3rd Edition ISBN: 0881322156

Book Description

An in-depth look at the ecology, history, and politics of land use among the Turkana pastoral people in Northern Kenya

Based on sixteen years of fieldwork among the pastoral Turkana people, McCabe examines how individuals use the land and make decisions about mobility, livestock, and the use of natural resources in an environment characterized by aridity, unpredictability, insecurity, and violence. The Turkana are one of the world's most mobile peoples, but understanding why and how they move is a complex task influenced by politics, violence, historical relations among ethnic groups, and the government, as well as by the arid land they call home.

As one of the original members of the South Turkana Ecosystem Project, McCabe draws on a wealth of ecological data in his analysis. His long-standing relationship with four Turkana families personalize his insights and conclusions, inviting readers into the lives of these individuals, their families, and the way they cope with their environment and political events in daily life.

J. Terrence McCabe is Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Colorado at Boulder.

Business and Environmental Policy: Corporate Interests in the American Political System (American and Comparative Environmental Policy)

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Business and Environmental Policy: Corporate Interests in the American Political System (American and Comparative Environmental Policy)

Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
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Book Description

It is well known that American businesses make an effort to influence environmental policy by attempting to set the political agenda and to influence regulations and legislation. This book examines what is not so well known: the extent to which business succeeds in its policy interventions. In Business and Environmental Policy, a team of distinguished scholars systematically analyzes corporate influence at all stages of the policy process, focusing on the factors that determine the success or failure of business lobbying in Congress, state legislatures, local governments, federal and state agencies, and the courts. These experts consider whether business influence is effectively counterbalanced by the efforts of environmental groups, public opinion, and other forces.

The book also examines the use of the media to influence public opinion--as in the battle over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge--and corporations’ efforts to sway elections by making campaign contributions. Because the book goes well beyond the existing literature--much of which is narrow, descriptive, and anecdotal--to provide broad-based empirical evidence of corporate influence on environmental policy, it makes an original and important contribution and is appropriate for a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses.

Contributors:
Christopher J. Bosso, Gary C. Bryner, Cary Coglianese, Robert J. Duffy, Scott R. Furlong, Deborah Lynn Guber, Sheldon Kamieniecki, Michael E. Kraft, Judith A. Layzer, Lettie McSpadden, Philip A. Mundo, Kent E. Portney, Barry G. Rabe, and Paul S. Weiland

Natural Visions: The Power of Images in American Environmental Reform

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Natural Visions: The Power of Images in American Environmental Reform
Finis Dunaway
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Walden Pond. The Grand Canyon.Yosemite National Park. Throughout the twentieth century, photographers and filmmakers created unforgettable images of these and other American natural treasures. Many of these images, including the work of Ansel Adams, continue to occupy a prominent place in the American imagination. Making these representations, though, was more than a purely aesthetic project. In fact, portraying majestic scenes and threatened places galvanized concern for the environment and its protection. Natural Visions documents through images the history of environmental reform from the Progressive era to the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, showing the crucial role the camera played in the development of the conservation movement.

In Natural Visions, Finis Dunaway tells the story of how visual imagery—such as wilderness photographs, New Deal documentary films, and Sierra Club coffee-table books—shaped modern perceptions of the natural world. By examining the relationship between the camera and environmental politics through detailed studies of key artists and activists, Dunaway captures the emotional and spiritual meaning that became associated with the American landscape. Throughout the book, he reveals how photographers and filmmakers adapted longstanding traditions in American culture—the Puritan jeremiad, the romantic sublime, and the frontier myth—to literally picture nature as a place of grace for the individual and the nation.

Beautifully illustrated with photographs by Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, and a host of other artists, Natural Visions will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in American cultural history, the visual arts, and environmentalism.

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