KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century

KunstlerCast #149: Debauchery in the Student Ghettos

24 Mar 2011

Contributed by Lukas

JHK and Duncan apply an urbanist lens to a recent string of drunken St. Paddy's Parade Day riots in three U.S. cities: Newport, RI, Hoboken, NJ, and A...

KunstlerCast #148: Disaster in Japan

17 Mar 2011

Contributed by Lukas

After the recent earthquake and tsunami, James Howard Kunstler believes that Japan may be propelled into a much different society very quickly -- one ...

KunstlerCast #147: Pigeons

10 Mar 2011

Contributed by Lukas

In this mini episode, Leisureville author Andrew Blechman talks with Jim and Duncan about pigeons, the fascinating subject of his other book Pigeons.

KunstlerCast #146: Geritopia

03 Mar 2011

Contributed by Lukas

Author Andrew Blechman discusses his book Leisureville, a tragicomic report on The Villages, America's largest planned retirement community. In this v...

KunstlerCast #145: Listener Mailbag

24 Feb 2011

Contributed by Lukas

JHK and Duncan get caught up on questions from listener callers. Topics include post-petroleum education, the homogenization of America, Vancouver and...

KunstlerCast #144: American Jitney

17 Feb 2011

Contributed by Lukas

JHK discusses "slugging" and couch surfing and other casual self-organizing transportation and lodging systems that are emerging under new terms of ex...

KunstlerCast #143: Imported From Detroit?

10 Feb 2011

Contributed by Lukas

JHK reacts to the Chrysler Superbowl commercial featuring rapper Eminem, titled "Imported From Detroit." This leads to a discussion of American insecu...

KunstlerCast #142: Forecast 2011

27 Jan 2011

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler speaks about his annual forecast for 2011. Although there are a lot of people out there cheerleading for a "recovery," JHK belie...

KunstlerCast #141: Interstate 69 with Matt Dellinger

21 Jan 2011

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler is joined in the studio by author Matt Dellinger to discuss his new book, INTERSTATE 69. Also known as "The NAFTA Highway," I-69...

KunstlerCast #140: Violent Rhetoric

13 Jan 2011

Contributed by Lukas

JHK reacts to the tragic shooting in Arizona. He reflects on gun ownership debate in the U.S. and his own conflicting thoughts about owning a gun hims...

KunstlerCast #139: Social Critic

07 Jan 2011

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler talks about his literary influences, including H.L. Mencken, Tom Wolfe and Samuel Beckett. He also explains the role of the soci...

KunstlerCast #138: A Christmas Orphan

16 Dec 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler discusses and reads from his novella, A Christmas Orphan -- the story of a young boy from the big city who runs away on Christma...

KunstlerCast #137: Berkeley, San Fran, Pasadena & Santa Monica

10 Dec 2010

Contributed by Lukas

JHK shares his thoughts on a recent visit to the San Francisco Bay Area and the greater Los Angeles region in the final chapter in his Witch of Hebron...

KunstlerCast #136: Perth, Australia

02 Dec 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler reports on his recent trip to Perth, Australia. He joins host Duncan Crary by telephone during a long layover at the LAX aiport ...

KunstlerCast #135: Melbourne, AU Cont.

25 Nov 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler continues his discussion of Melbourne, Australia based on his recent visit to that country to speak at the VIC Urban conference....

KunstlerCast #134: Melbourne Australia

19 Nov 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Jim shares his observations of Melbourne, Australia based on his recent visit to that city to speak to the VIC Urban organization. Though he was impre...

KunstlerCast #133 - The Tea Party

12 Nov 2010

Contributed by Lukas

JHK shares his thoughts on the recent U.S. midterm elections, the Tea Party, Jon Stewart's Rally for Sanity, and the problems of progressivisim.

KunstlerCast #132:Travel Notes - Boulder & Minneapolis

04 Nov 2010

Contributed by Lukas

JHK shares his observations of Boulder, Colorado and Minneapolis, Minnesota--two cities that do not live up to their reputation for entirely different...

KunstlerCast #131: Portland, Oregon

28 Oct 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler discusses Portland, Oregon, an American city that did a lot of things right. Topics include: the urban growth boundary, architec...

KunstlerCast #130: Seattle

21 Oct 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler shares his observations of Seattle based on his recent trip to that city. He believes that the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood giv...

KunstlerCast #129: Gambling

14 Oct 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler examines the last ditch effort of some states to try to generate revenue through casinos. Kunstler believes gambling is a margin...

KunstlerCast #128: Travelogue - WA, LA, N.H.

07 Oct 2010

Contributed by Lukas

JHK checks in with Duncan via phone during the West Coast leg of his book tour for The Witch of Hebron. He shares his recent observations from visitin...

KunstlerCast #127: The Tragedy of the Commons

30 Sep 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler explains the Tragedy of the Commons, as first described by Garrett Hardin in 1968, as how this philosophical theory relates to t...

KunstlerCast #126: The Disservice Industry & The Next Manhattan Project

24 Sep 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler joins Duncan by phone from his hotel room in New Orleans. Their conversation moves from Dearborn, Michigan to the failings of th...

KunstlerCast #125: Cassandra, A Thought Experiment

16 Sep 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Duncan asks JHK what he would say to the American people of 1946 if he had the means to travel back in time. What would Kunstler tell them about the s...

KunstlerCast: Crazy Update from LA

09 Sep 2010

Contributed by Lukas

The KunstlerCast will return next week. Duncan was flown to LA at the last minute to appear on a daytime TV show. He also wandered into the midst of a...

KunstlerCast #124: The American Vacation

02 Sep 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler muses on The American Vacation and why the act of vacationing in American has become so stressful and unpleasant. He also shares...

KunstlerCast #123: The Witch of Hebron

27 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist/Author Peter Golden interviews James Howard Kunstler about The Witch of Hebron, the second novel in Kunstler's World Made By Hand series. W...

KunstlerCast: The Witch of Hebron, Chapter Thirteen

26 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler reads Chapter 13 from his post-oil novel The Witch of Hebron (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2010). Music: "Duck River," performed by ...

KunstlerCast: The Witch of Hebron, Chapter One

26 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler reads the first chapter of his post-oil novel The Witch of Hebron (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2010). Music: "McCully's Waltz," per...

KunstlerCast: The Witch of Hebron, Chapter Thirty-Eight

26 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Author James Howard Kunstler reads Chapter Thirty-Eight from his post-oil novel, The Witch of Hebron (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2010). Music: "Sweet Ro...

KunstlerCast #122: A Grand Wobble

19 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler takes a look at the systematic failures of our finanical future and the efforts by the U.S. government to sustain the unsusta...

KunstlerCast #121: Modern Family Living

12 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler muses on the suburban family living arrangement--past, present, future. Points of discussion include: adult kids living at home,...

KunstlerCast #120: To Combat Sprawl

05 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

A listener asks what other ways average folks can combat sprawl without becoming a professional urban planner. JHK shares the story of his personal ...

KunstlerCast #119: The Projects - Audio Only

08 Jul 2010

Contributed by Lukas

JHK explores a mostly abandoned low-income housing project in Duncan's neighborhood. Two of the three 9-story brick "vertical slums" are boarded up an...

KunstlerCast_118: A Great American Street: Audio-Only

01 Jul 2010

Contributed by Lukas

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KunstlerCast #118 Enhanced: A Great American Street

01 Jul 2010

Contributed by Lukas

JHK and Duncan celebrate the Fourth of July by touring Uncle Sam's neighborhood. They stroll down Second Street in Troy NY, admiring the 19th century ...

KunstlerCast #117: Berlin

24 Jun 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Normal.dotm 0 0 1 94 541 Duncan Crary Communications 4 1 664 12.256 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 ...

KunstlerCast #116: Deep Water Horizon

17 Jun 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Normal.dotm 0 0 1 163 933 Duncan Crary Communications 7 1 1145 12.256 0 false 18 pt 18 pt ...

KunstlerCast #116: Deep Water Horizon

17 Jun 2010

Contributed by Lukas

JHK examines the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the fog of incomplete information that surrounds it. Kunstler sees this incident as furthe...

KunstlerCast #115: Atlanta

10 Jun 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler shares his observations from a recent visit to Atlanta, Ga.

KunstlerCast #114: Agrarian Urbanism

03 Jun 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler recently returned from the 18th Annual Congress for the New Urbanism. Agrarian urbanism was a hot topic among many New Urbanists...

KunstlerCast #113: Pit Bulls in the China Shop

27 May 2010

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

KunstlerCast #112: The Politics of Place

20 May 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler examines the politics of place. Are the suburbs more conservative than cities? Why are people who try to conserve the historic f...

KunstlerCast #111: Brutalism

13 May 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler explains the origins of brutalism, the modernist architectural style that resulted in the horrible, poured concrete bunker-like ...

KunstlerCast #110: Human Scale

06 May 2010

Contributed by Lukas

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

KunstlerCast #109: Rock and Roll

29 Apr 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Normal.dotm 0 0 1 43 250 Duncan Crary Communications 2 1 307 12.256 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* St...

KunstlerCast #108: The Virtual Realm vs. The Authentic

22 Apr 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler believes that the virtual is not an adequate replacement for the authentic. In spite of how appealing and ingenious we may find ...

KunstlerCast #107: Sprawl Defenders

15 Apr 2010

Contributed by Lukas

This conversation was recorded one day before James Howard Kunstler was scheduled to debate Randal O'Toole at Brown University in Providence, RI. O'To...

KunstlerCast #106: Space Exploration

08 Apr 2010

Contributed by Lukas

As NASA prepares to retire its space shuttle program, James Howard Kunstler takes a few moments to muse on the past, present and future of space explo...

KunstlerCast #105: Virtual Tour of Baltimore - Part 2

01 Apr 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler continues his virtual "walking" tour/commentary of Baltimore, Maryland. In this tour, he inspects the light rail system, the wat...

KunstlerCast #104: Virtual Tour of Baltimore - Part 1

25 Mar 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler sometimes thinks of Baltimore, Maryland as the poster child for how cities are going to contract in this country and around the ...

KunstlerCast #103: Parking Militants and Hot Heads

18 Mar 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler is sometimes propelled into "mad dog mode" when speaking about the modern American landscape. But tempers fly on all sides of th...

KunstlerCast #102: Building the Future

11 Mar 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler believes that one way or another, we're going to end up living in a very different daily environment than the one we're used to....

KunstlerCast #101: Climate Change

04 Mar 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler answers a listener call about the relationship between climate change and peak oil.

KunstlerCast #100: Rochester NY

19 Feb 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler is pleasantly surprised by Rochester, N.Y., a small industrial city in the Great Lakes region. The first portion of this program...

KunstlerCast #99: Big Slide Q & A

12 Feb 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler answers questions from cast members and the audience who attended the staged reading of "Big Slide," an original three-act by JH...

KunstlerCast #98: Big Slide - Acts 2, 3

04 Feb 2010

Contributed by Lukas

On today's podcast, we present the conclusion of "Big Slide," an original three-act play by James Howard Kunstler. Set in the autumn of an unspecified...

KunstlerCast #97: Big Slide - Act 1

29 Jan 2010

Contributed by Lukas

On today's podcast, we present the first act of "Big Slide," an original three-act play by James Howard Kunstler. Set in the autumn of an unspecified ...

KunstlerCast #96: Road Trip

21 Jan 2010

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler and Duncan Crary hit the open road to bring you these audio postcards from the NYS Thruway on their way to Rochester. To pass th...

KunstlerCast: Preview 2010

14 Jan 2010

Contributed by Lukas

JHK and Duncan have returned from their road trip to Rochester and they have tons of stories to tell. In this mini preview episode, you'll here some e...

KunstlerCast #95: Where We're At '09

31 Dec 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler takes a moment to examine where we're at as a culture at the end of 2009. JHK shares his thought process leading up to his 2010 ...

KunstlerCast #94: Disneyfication of America

24 Dec 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler explains the story behind Disneyland, Disney World, and Walt Disney's legacy on the American built environment.

KunstlerCast #93: College Campuses

17 Dec 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler discusses the built environment on the American college campus and how modernist ideas about architecture are programming young...

KunstlerCast #92: Long Emergency US Tour -Part 2

10 Dec 2009

Contributed by Lukas

In this in part two of this discussion, James Howard Kunstler predicts how various regions of the United States will fare during the coming energy cri...

KunstlerCast #91: Long Emergency US Tour -Part 1

03 Dec 2009

Contributed by Lukas

In this in installment, James Howard Kunstler predicts how various regions of the United States will fare during the coming energy crisis that he anti...

KunstlerCast #90: The Demise of Happy Motoring

26 Nov 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler believes that the Happy Motoring project is running out of time. Peak Oil and problems with alternative energy aren't the only i...

KunstlerCast #89: Everyday Architecture

19 Nov 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler thinks that most modern buildings are not really architecture, they're just manufactured boxes. Whether it's suburban houses, or...

KunstlerCast #88: In General

12 Nov 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler speaks about the role of generalists in a world of hyper specialists. Although hyper-specialists are experts in their narrow fie...

KunstlerCast #87: Boston

05 Nov 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler thinks Boston is one of the few healthy major cities left in the U.S. He says gentrification has been a good thing for the city....

KunstlerCast #86: The High Line

29 Oct 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler discusses two major projects that have recently turned 19th century railroad structures into parks: the High Line in lower Manha...

KunstlerCast #85: Is NYC The Green Metropolis?

22 Oct 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Inspired by David Owen's book "Green Metropolis," James Howard Kunstler examines the idea of Manhattan as a "green" city. Kunstler believes that, duri...

KunstlerCast# 84: Urban Thinkers

15 Oct 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler believes that urban design will be the next big philosophical battle for the hearts and minds of Americans. One of the most impo...

KunstlerCast #83: Jane Jacobs

08 Oct 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Planetizen, an urban planning website and book publisher, recently conducted a poll about the Top 100 Urban Thinkers. Jane Jacobs, author of The Death...

KunstlerCast #82: Food in a World Made By Hand

01 Oct 2009

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, listener Frank Aragona of the Agroinnovations Podcast asks James Howard Kunstler to talk about the role of food in Jim's post-...

KunstlerCast #81: Los Angeles

24 Sep 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler shares his thoughts on Los Angeles, California after a recent visit to Tinseltown. The motoring infrastructure of Los Angeles st...

KunstlerCast #80: White and Green Rooftops

17 Sep 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Steven Chu, the US Energy Secretary, is advocating for people to paint their rooftops white in order to save on energy and to cut down on gl...

KunstlerCast #79: Packing for France

10 Sep 2009

Contributed by Lukas

A Listener caller asks James Howard Kunstler if now is a good time to emigrate from the U.S. to France. During his response, Kunstler poses the questi...

KunstlerCast #78: Litter & Pollution

03 Sep 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler says one reason why American cities are so dirty is because we do not have a firm agreement about how to treat the public realm...

KunstlerCast #77: Idiocracy

27 Aug 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler believes that stupid Americans are exerting their political and cultural tyranny over the rest of us. No other society has prod...

KunstlerCast #76: Man Caves

20 Aug 2009

Contributed by Lukas

A "man cave" discovered in a government complex made national news earlier this month. Eminent new urbanist planner Andres Duany was prompted to speak...

KunstlerCast #75: Jet Skis in the Wilderness

13 Aug 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Even during a recession, Americans are pouring into our nation's "wilderness areas" with jet skis and cigarette boats in tow. After returning home fro...

KunstlerCast #74: Electric Society

06 Aug 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler explores the possibility of transitioning our society from fossil fuels to one that runs on electricity. This discussion is base...

KunstlerCast #73: The Horse Latitudes of Our Economy

30 Jul 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler believes that the consumer credit economy is over and that we are now moving on to the next phase of the U.S. economy. Kunstler ...

KunstlerCast #72: Sprawling to Obesity

23 Jul 2009

Contributed by Lukas

This May, the Committee on Environmental Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics confirmed that the design of U.S. communities (i.e. car-dependen...

KunstlerCast #71: Doomers

16 Jul 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler and other commentators are often called "doomers" for their seemingly bleak outlook for modern society after the peak of oil pro...

KunstlerCast Grunt: Jacko

09 Jul 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler joins host Duncan Crary for a quick KunstlerCast "grunt" to react to the recent death of pop star Michael Jackson. Kunstler thi...

KunstlerCast #70: Commercial and Corporate Art in Public

25 Jun 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler takes a look at various types of public artwork on display in Troy NY, a small American city. Kunstler notes that many public mu...

KunstlerCast #69: Public Art and Public Eyesores

18 Jun 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler discusses public art in our cities and towns. Modern public art often lacks artistry and is an ironic representation of our 21st...

KunstlerCast #68: Historic Preservation

11 Jun 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler addresses some issues regarding historic preservation. Kunstler supports historic preservation, because adaptive reuse is part o...

KunstlerCast #67: Jaime Correa - The 40 Percent Plan

04 Jun 2009

Contributed by Lukas

New Urbanist Planner and Author Jaime Correa speaks about urban planning in the peak oil era. KunstlerCast Host Duncan Crary recorded Correa's talk on...

KunstlerCast #66: New Listener Orientation

28 May 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler and host Duncan Crary take a moment to welcome new listeners and explain what the KunstlerCast is about. Kunstler gives a brief ...

KunstlerCast #65: Virtual Tour of Detroit

21 May 2009

Contributed by Lukas

At the suggestion of a listener caller, James Howard Kunstler gives a virtual walking tour of Detroit, Michigan using Google Street View. Google Stree...

KunstlerCast #64: Contracting Cities & Urban Chickens

15 May 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler talks about two former industrial cities undergoing massive contractions: Flint, Michigan and Youngstown, Ohio . The local gover...

KunstlerCast #63: Obama's High Speed Rail Corridors

07 May 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler responds to a listener call about the 10 "high speed" rail corridors the Obama administration is seeking to restore in the U.S. ...

KunstlerCast #62: Swine Flu and Pirates

30 Apr 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler talks about the recent outbreak of swine flu and the increased attention to modern-day pirates. Several bloggers have noted some...

KunstlerCast #61: Getting to Work

23 Apr 2009

Contributed by Lukas

Host Duncan Crary has been taking James Howard Kunstler's ideas about water transport seriously. This Spring, Duncan is bringing back passenger riverb...

KunstlerCast #60: Bad Behavior and Urban Policing

16 Apr 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler often advocates for a return to urban living arrangements. But urban living often bring residents into close proximity to bad be...

KunstlerCast #59: The Role of Bicycles

09 Apr 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler responds to a listener who doesn't understand why Jim sounds kind of down on bicycle transportation. Kunstler clarifies his posi...

KunstlerCast #58: New Urbanism in South Africa

02 Apr 2009

Contributed by Lukas

James Howard Kunstler reports on two recent trips he took. First he talks about his appearance at the annual Aspen Institute Environmental Forum, wher...