Wow! Jim’s “wayfinding”’point struck so home for me. I grew up on the crossroads edge between the city and burbs of a 250K city. With a working mom. Close enough to both the city center and the means to get there quickly on public transit. Yet also close enough to my school in the burbs that I could and did take transit with my little brother that too. From the age of 8 + 6 respectively in both directions … by ourselves , completely unsupervised. Mom or Dad was almost always there before and always one was home by the time we got there , but everything between was self managed. On the weekends we were always taking ourselves into the city to see a flick, shop for comics, whatever. So I was “wayfinding” early and often. I never really thought to reflect on how formative that must have been to fostering my strong sense of; self reliance, confidence , problem solving, and independence.
Tom Luongo has become my absolutely favorite. I went from highly skeptical of him to listening to his logic to seeing what happens in the real world...and he's smart. Very smart.
Better give a peep at Moscow! every zone has parks entratainement for children also out side Gym machines, enormous parks for walking, just give it a look and the public transportantion is incredible all the time no wait, including in them all wifi and recharging phones and laptops parks have places for music shows bands.........free
Trees. I grew up in a small Canadian town (Kingston, one of the oldest in Ontario) where almost everyone walked to school, played in the parks until the streetlights came on, and neighbourhoods all had verdant canopies of mostly Elm trees... until "Dutch elm disease" wiped them out in the early 70s. It was like a slice of my soul was extirpated. I live in Richmond Hill now, a suburb of Toronto; need I say more?
The comment about enjoying Europe is spot on. When I read "A Pattern Language" I finally had a framework to hang the wonderful feel of the old world on. Don't think I have heard Jim before, now I'm really curious to know how he relates to the ideas in that book...
Suburbia is the definition of community, and best place for kids... a social structure natural for humans. Cities are a crap place to raise kids unless you are rich.
French political commentator and editor Pierre-Yves Rougeyron has a good distinction, that the system isn't strong. It's heavy. It is an oppressive weight on every part of society but it is incapable of doing anything properly, even in it's own benefit.
100% failure of town planners to understand the needs of local people; what constitutes a vibrant public realm and how people and communities need this😢 There's no mystery amongst common people where they'd rather be, as they embark for old European cities for their holidays and photography tours 😊
The UK and French govs are also effectively broken, with no clue how to get up off the floor. It’s interesting that the region of the world that has the richest history of good urban planning ( by necessity due to lack of land and volume of people I assume ) . The ones with the oft cited as “most sophisticated” cultures … Is the the region of then world that seems most likely to be left out in the cold and collapse first as we move to a multi polar financial world with tighter, more geopolitically oriented trading blocks.
Because the elites there are sterile, wanting only control of what exists under them and have no ideas or even energy to try to better their societies (because they don’t think there is even such a thing as “their society”).
Toronto went crazy and put in bike lanes on major arteries by removing one lane each way. The result has been a traffic nightmare. The provincial government is forcing the city to rip out these unused bike lanes. Yeah. Pushback works.
It all comes down to private versus public. People that own a property will take care of it, when it’s public everyone owns it therefore no one owns it
There are not going to be "negotiations". Russia is going to say- We require these ACTIONS(faith/trust building) by America/NATO/EU. At minimum this requires every single "western" weapon & person to exit Ukraine or to surrender to Russian military personnel. Of course this will require Russian military personnel to confirm every western weapon & person is gone or is under Russian control. There will also be a requirement to agree to Russia's demand for a European Security agreement- with some actions to demonstrate America, NATO & the EU are serious about fulfilling some of the demands. Such actions will have to be fulfilled before any ceasefire. Both of these are going to be hard for America, NATO and the EU to swallow. And they might never agree. The result in every situation is the same- Russia securing complete control over all Ukrainian territory. What they do with some portions of it after they have secured it- no one can know. They could well trade away some troublesome regions to neighboring countries in exchange for non-aggression pacts and/or trade agreements. If these American & EU long range weapons are used against Russian territory in any substantive amount- the electricity will be turned off in Ukraine. Unless a very severe blow is inflicted upon Russia with these weapons- they will not strike outside Ukrainian territory. If a severe blow with high casualties or to an important to Russian defense component, is inflicted- all bets are off.
The architechture of today looks as though it'll all disappear within a generation. It's cheap. Looks cheap and feels cheap and tawdry. There's no sense of the future, no sense of permanence or solidity. It's all utilitarian and fading as soon as the last dab of silicone is applied.
Aside from architectural aesthetics you need to look at the reason for the flight to suburbia. Crime! I don't know what you mean by community or why it is desirable. I am an old guy and have lived in a wide range of communities from a small town to a very large city, NYC. This idea of community is highly overblown. And architecture does not improve your life unless you are looking at it. You can live in a hovel but if you have a beautiful structure across the street you are lucky.
The irony is that, unless i'm mistaken, Jim lives in the country now too. He became a rural self-standing guy years ago (as is Tom). But i guess one argument why is our cities are so ugly and the people who live in them often pushed to the margins to have to live surrounded by so much crime for an affordable place near their work, that who wants to live in that concentration? Where the traffic sucks too and pedestrians are subject to both street predators AND traffic threats to them, whether biking or walking. Now imagine AGING in that. Good chat. The dynamic duo ride again!
great discussion with great knowledgeable speakers
Great interview.Thank for letting them to speak.
Great interview Shaun with two very knowledgeable men.
Greetings from a new subscriber in Newfoundland.
Wow! Jim’s “wayfinding”’point struck so home for me.
I grew up on the crossroads edge between the city and burbs of a 250K city. With a working mom. Close enough to both the city center and the means to get there quickly on public transit. Yet also close enough to my school in the burbs that I could and did take transit with my little brother that too. From the age of 8 + 6 respectively in both directions … by ourselves , completely unsupervised. Mom or Dad was almost always there before and always one was home by the time we got there , but everything between was self managed.
On the weekends we were always taking ourselves into the city to see a flick, shop for comics, whatever.
So I was “wayfinding” early and often. I never really thought to reflect on how formative that must have been to fostering my strong sense of; self reliance, confidence , problem solving, and independence.
Tom Luongo has become my absolutely favorite. I went from highly skeptical of him to listening to his logic to seeing what happens in the real world...and he's smart. Very smart.
Jim Kunstler was very informative. Luongo, once again, used more time than his contribution merits.
6 minutes of ads Shaun...
Loved spending a few years as a kid living on an isolated military radar base in Northern Canada. Fishing, tobogganing, riding horses etc. Good times
Better give a peep at Moscow! every zone has parks entratainement for children also out side Gym machines, enormous parks for walking, just give it a look and the public transportantion is incredible all the time no wait, including in them all wifi and recharging
phones and laptops parks have places for music shows bands.........free
Moscow puts western cities to shame.
Trees. I grew up in a small Canadian town (Kingston, one of the oldest in Ontario) where almost everyone walked to school, played in the parks until the streetlights came on, and neighbourhoods all had verdant canopies of mostly Elm trees... until "Dutch elm disease" wiped them out in the early 70s. It was like a slice of my soul was extirpated. I live in Richmond Hill now, a suburb of Toronto; need I say more?
The comment about enjoying Europe is spot on. When I read "A Pattern Language" I finally had a framework to hang the wonderful feel of the old world on. Don't think I have heard Jim before, now I'm really curious to know how he relates to the ideas in that book...
Suburbia is the definition of community, and best place for kids... a social structure natural for humans. Cities are a crap place to raise kids unless you are rich.
5:58 end of ads and intro BS
French political commentator and editor Pierre-Yves Rougeyron has a good distinction, that the system isn't strong. It's heavy. It is an oppressive weight on every part of society but it is incapable of doing anything properly, even in it's own benefit.
It's cheaper to build a new city than to rebuild an old city
First time listening ads in beginning are brutal
100% failure of town planners to understand the needs of local people; what constitutes a vibrant public realm and how people and communities need this😢 There's no mystery amongst common people where they'd rather be, as they embark for old European cities for their holidays and photography tours 😊
The UK and French govs are also effectively broken, with no clue how to get up off the floor.
It’s interesting that the region of the world that has the richest history of good urban planning ( by necessity due to lack of land and volume of people I assume ) . The ones with the oft cited as “most sophisticated” cultures …
Is the the region of then world that seems most likely to be left out in the cold and collapse first as we move to a multi polar financial world with tighter, more geopolitically oriented trading blocks.
Because the elites there are sterile, wanting only control of what exists under them and have no ideas or even energy to try to better their societies (because they don’t think there is even such a thing as “their society”).
Toronto went crazy and put in bike lanes on major arteries by removing one lane each way. The result has been a traffic nightmare. The provincial government is forcing the city to rip out these unused bike lanes. Yeah. Pushback works.
Start by cutting military spending and the criminals who start wars
1:25:00 - It was actually called the "Drunken Scumbag Hangout Spot." I know this because it was spray-painted there.
It all comes down to private versus public. People that own a property will take care of it, when it’s public everyone owns it therefore no one owns it
There are not going to be "negotiations".
Russia is going to say- We require these ACTIONS(faith/trust building) by America/NATO/EU.
At minimum this requires every single "western" weapon & person to exit Ukraine or to surrender to Russian military personnel. Of course this will require Russian military personnel to confirm every western weapon & person is gone or is under Russian control.
There will also be a requirement to agree to Russia's demand for a European Security agreement- with some actions to demonstrate America, NATO & the EU are serious about fulfilling some of the demands.
Such actions will have to be fulfilled before any ceasefire.
Both of these are going to be hard for America, NATO and the EU to swallow. And they might never agree.
The result in every situation is the same- Russia securing complete control over all Ukrainian territory.
What they do with some portions of it after they have secured it- no one can know. They could well trade away some troublesome regions to neighboring countries in exchange for non-aggression pacts and/or trade agreements.
If these American & EU long range weapons are used against Russian territory in any substantive amount- the electricity will be turned off in Ukraine.
Unless a very severe blow is inflicted upon Russia with these weapons- they will not strike outside Ukrainian territory.
If a severe blow with high casualties or to an important to Russian defense component, is inflicted- all bets are off.
One hour and 45 minutes to avoid stating the cause, The Ns
Starts 6:26
Putin and Trump must know by now they’re not going to get a deal out of Zelenskiy
will after they stop the money
Who pays the piper calls the tune.
Somehow Jim sounds different without his moustache.
The architechture of today looks as though it'll all disappear within a generation. It's cheap. Looks cheap and feels cheap and tawdry. There's no sense of the future, no sense of permanence or solidity. It's all utilitarian and fading as soon as the last dab of silicone is applied.
Aside from architectural aesthetics you need to look at the reason for the flight to suburbia. Crime! I don't know what you mean by community or why it is desirable. I am an old guy and have lived in a wide range of communities from a small town to a very large city, NYC. This idea of community is highly overblown. And architecture does not improve your life unless you are looking at it. You can live in a hovel but if you have a beautiful structure across the street you are lucky.
Well, we know it was not a psy op now.
The irony is that, unless i'm mistaken, Jim lives in the country now too. He became a rural self-standing guy years ago (as is Tom).
But i guess one argument why is our cities are so ugly and the people who live in them often pushed to the margins to have to live surrounded by so much crime for an affordable place near their work, that who wants to live in that concentration? Where the traffic sucks too and pedestrians are subject to both street predators AND traffic threats to them, whether biking or walking.
Now imagine AGING in that.
Good chat. The dynamic duo ride again!
Kunstler and Collum #1 duo
Kunstler and Luongo #2 duo
I prefer to not live packed into multicultural city- to much crime.
7 minutes of ads in the beginning then what seems like a life time of discussing urban sprawls. No thank you
To all americans ENJOY. Remember yous all exceptional.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA