Kudos to Anthony Perl and my colleagues at SFU Urban Studies for bringing in James Kunstler (author of “The Long Emergency”) as their first Fellow. That meant he had a week to tour the region, speak to students, staff, politicians and the public in a variety of settings (from the Carnegie to the Vancouver Club in one day).
Those familiar with his writings and blog wouldn’t be surprised to find that what were once fringe opinions, bluntly expressed, are now almost mainstream. The world is moving his way. Some senior developers in this city, after the Vancouver Club presentation, said they found his analysis bleak but not out of line with their own observations.
If you missed Kunstler this week, despair not: you can hear him in full flight at the TED site (Technology, Entertainment, Design) here.
According to his website, Mr Kunstler lives in Saratoga Springs, New York. Google/Wikipedia state that this is a town of about 26,000 people in upstate New York, on Interstate 87 near the state capital of Albany and the Adirondack Park.
Here is a view of Saratoga’s shopping district:
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5864518
It seems Mr Kunstler lives not in suburbia but in exurbia.