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

As a student and professional of urban planning for nearly 20 years, I really wish I'd read this book in the mid-90s. Nevertheless, I walked away from this read yesterday, when I finished it, with a much broader perspective on where we are as a society and why.For anyone who has ever tried to figure out the source and reasoning for their dissatisfaction with post-WW2 city growth, urban sprawl, and our reliance on the auto - this book is the Rosetta Stone to all those questions.Kunstler puts the whole picture together for you, and explains where we're at, and the political mechanisms that put us here. Most of the read involves historical perspectives, but if we want to understand our present state of matters, retrospect is necessary.There's a few matters you want to keep in mind when diving into this book...First, it's harbored in a time right before the internet took off...and that's a good thing, as book's release in the mid-90s couldn't have been timed any better. It allows for a clean perspective of societal development before email and web access, which would obviously have been a game-changer on the author's view.Secondly, it focuses on historical perspectives to the effect that there's very little offered in terms of solutions...but solutions aren't the point here, even despite the fact that New Urbanism (part of the solution, it would turn out) hadn't taken full form at the time of this book's release; at least in the way that we understand it today. For solutions, you need to read the companion book "From Nowhere to Home."Lastly, Kunstler takes no prisoners in terms of assigning blame to those responsible for the grievances spelled out in the book...and I was very pleased that nobody was spared, as it makes the read that much more real and honest. Politicians, developers, planners of the pre-New Urbanism era, Big SpOil, and captains of industry all get skewered, and rightly so...to know how to proceed with the future, it's essential to understand who goofed in the past, and what the motivations were.My favorite parts of the book were the ends to many of the chapters, which were summed up with genius dialogue. Many of the chapters end in amusing and venomous rants, some of which left me pumping my fist in the air and engaging my treadmill to expire the energy.As I indicated previously, this is essential to anyone interested in the arts of city planning...for those of you out there jobs related to the planning field, the content in here is a great way to have a more informed approach to land use recommendations, planning policy, and engage better in heated discussion during those painful public hearings...or just impress the director and commissioners over lunch.In any event, this book will answer questions and paint a clearer picture for those who have pondered society's urban form and where it went wrong. Anyone will walk away with a much more informed, broader depth of knowledge. For the price, that breadth of knowledge can't be beat.

Fantastic book about modern American society. One of the best. Specifically addresses what's wrong with our living spaces, and how our ideas of Americanism lead to the zoning codes that define housing development. Well told in Kunstler's sharp and descriptive style of American prose.This is the diagnosis and the companion book, Home From Nowhere, is the cure. People who want to take positive social action to improve their neighborhoods must read these books.One of the few flaws in this book, however, is the short shrift that Kunstler gives to urban crime as a motivation for the masses fleeing to the suburbs. The matter is touched upon, but inadequately so. To some extent this is a problem of the whole movement known as "the New Urbanism--" a certain reluctance to speak frankly about the reality of crime and widely held perceptions about racial conflict in society. However perhaps this flaw is understandable in light of the thought-controlling fashions of "political correctness" and, at a deeper level, how the voices of developers, architects, lawyers, and other social commentators have been chilled by the overzealous enforcement of the 1965 Fair Housing Act.Besides that one weakness, this is the strongest book on the topic I know of for the general public. It surpassed my expectations and I've picked it up again and again.I thank the author for this work.

I'm really glad I read this book!The part that I loved, first of all, is that there is a new forward in here from 2013-2014. This book was written over 20 years ago, and though a lot of stuff has changed since then, the author took the effort to write about how this book compares to now. A lot of the main concepts in here are definitely still relevant and still seen today in suburbs and urban areas, so it was an interesting read.The only problem I had, which is the same problem that I have with all nonfiction books (about all sorts of subjects) is the dreaded "second chapter." This is the part of the book where the author describes the history of *insert subject of book* in order for the reader to understand the background. While immensely helpful and even slightly interesting at times, this part of the book seemed to ramble on a bit about things that I really am not going to remember later. That is the only reason I took off a star. I would really give it about 4 1/2 stars.Other than that, this book was so interesting! The author writes in a style that is informative yet not pretentious. He is definitely knowledgable regarding the field.

A fundamental book on suburban phenomenon in US context.

The book was delivered even before the estimated time. It's a good reading for all those who are curious to understand why North America landscape and architecture has been built the way it is: the bad historical decisions, the bad political decisions, and the psychology that is affecting major metropolis and the social aspects of suburbia. It's a must read for all those in the field of architecture, design, and urbanistic. James Kunstler writes the truth on topics that affects society with the era of the exploit of cheap oil and the drive-through lifestyle it has spawned.

About a decade ago, James Kunstler gave one of the most engaging, intelligent, witty, impassioned, subtle, and also sweary TED talks I've ever seen. He's never been invited back.About a decade and a half before that, he wrote the Geography of Nowhere. The book swings between chapters offering careful historical analysis of the factors which led to the development of modern North American sprawl, and chapters bristling with the biting sarcasm and fomentation seen in the talk. As long as this oscillation in style is chalked up as a genuine expression of the author's feelings as well as thoughts, rather than a flaw or inconsistency, then the reader is unlikely to be disappointed with the book, if not the urban environment it so accurately and painfully describes.

A terrific book and sobering reminder of how easily our enthusiasms can overwhelm us. While I agree that the dominance of the car in modern life has led to a situation that is unsustainable, it is hard to see how it will be fixed in a sensible way.Not everyone will agree that the suburban way of life is so bleak compared to the way things were a few decades ago because most are too young to know and accept the mess that modern urban life is as normal.The writer describes the growth of the US and how land use, architecture, building methods and technology have brought the US to a position where the cost of the built infrastructure has become overwhelming to maintain and how the resulting destruction of real communities has enormous costs too. He explains how things came to be in such beautiful lucid sentences.I know of few other writers who can explain things so well but with a cutting edge of irony and not without humour.

Great read. Led me to other dorks of JHK, loved every single one.