KunstlerCast - Suburban Sprawl: A Tragic Comedy
James Howard Kunstler, author of The Geography of Nowhere, The Long Emergency, and World Made By Hand, takes on the converging catastrophes of the 21st century. Features a new guest each month. (Note: Episodes 1 - 214 featured conversations between Duncan Crary and JHK during the years 2008 through 2012 and focused on the topics of suburban sprawl, disposable architecture and the end of the cheap oil era.)
KunstlerCast #113: Pit Bulls in the China Shop

Using the example of a recent gimmick to allow dogs into the stores in downtown Saratoga Springs, James Howard Kunstler examines the topic of decorum in the public realm. JHK believes that Americans struggle with boundary issues and evaluating appropriate behavior, which may explain the increased presence of pet dogs in inappropriate venues. Vicious dogs, which have become the latest "urban" accessory, add an even more troubling dynamic to the streetscape. The situation gets worse when dog owners leave their pet's droppings in the sidewalk. Kunstler notes that dogs have always played a role in city life, but now we rarely employ dogs in the traditional roles that they were bred for. And listlessness leads to bad behavior in all mammals, dogs and humans included. Sponsor: http://paulrapp.com.

Direct download: KunstlerCast_113.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:13pm EDT

James Howard Kunstler examines the politics of place. Are the suburbs more conservative than cities? Why are people who try to conserve the historic fabric of their towns branded as radical liberals, while the agents of destruction in those towns call themselves "conservative?" What is the historical relationship between political ideas and the places where they originate from? JHK addresses these questions in today's episode. Sponsor: http://audiblepodcast.com/kunstler

Direct download: KunstlerCast_112.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:35pm EDT

James Howard Kunstler explains the origins of brutalism, the modernist architectural style that resulted in the horrible, poured concrete bunker-like buildings found all across the world. JHK explains why these concrete buildings age more rapidly, and less gracefully, than Roman concrete buildings. He also tells the story of how Hitler inspired (indirectly) these despotic structures. Specific examples of brutalist buildings discussed in this episode are: Boston City Hall, Troy City Hall, the Paul Rudolph building at Yale University and The Third Church of Christ, Scientist, in Washington, D.C.

Direct download: KunstlerCast_111.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:17pm EDT

James Howard Kunstler explains what it means to build to the human scale and how our modern built environment fails to do this.

Direct download: KunstlerCast_110.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:37am EDT