Activist embraces an end to suburbia

Last week, I was lucky enough to catch a presentation by James Kunstler. A flag-bearer for the New Urbanist movement, Kunstler is a former staff writer for Rolling Stone who left journalism in 1975 to write books. In the past decade, he has emerged as one of America’s foremost voices on topics including soul-numbing suburban sprawl, the implications of global oil-supply depletion and other issues that mainstream culture is loath to address.

Kunstler’s latest book — 2005’s “The Long Emergency” — has become something of a bible to oil obsessives across the country. It’s one of those rare a books that has caused many people to change their lives in a real way. I can understand why.


Like the recently deceased Molly Ivins (who will be sorely missed), Kunstler delivers the raw, ugly truth in a series of straight shots — but he always chases it down with a dose of wicked humor and a glimmer of real hope. It also doesn’t hurt that Kunstler gives great Power Point.

The talk I saw was a keynote address at the 16th annual conference of Pennsylvania’s Association for Sustainable Agriculture. This was a perfect setting. The people in attendance not only were conscious of the topics Kunstler writes about, they were the people who undoubtedly will play a role in helping us bridge the chasm between the dead-end, debt-driven culture of hyperconsumerism and whatever new culture emerges afterwards.

CentreDaily (Pennsylvania)