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Home from Nowhere: Remaking Our Everyday World For the 21st Century (Paperback)

by James Howard Kunstler (Author) "HISTORY doesn't believe anybody's advertising ..." (more)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Geography Of Nowhere: The Rise And Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape by James Howard Kunstler
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The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century by James Howard Kunstler
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Product Details

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Free Press (Mar 26 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0684837374
ISBN-13: 978-0684837376
Product Dimensions: 21 x 14 x 2 cm
Shipping Weight: 382 g

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #126,219 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

Through magazine articles and through his previous book, The Geography of Nowhere, James Howard Kunstler has become one of the foremost decriers of the blighted urban landscape of the United States. Now, in this new sequel to the earlier book, Kunstler moves from description to prescription. The villains, Kunstler says, are zoning laws, real estate taxes, modernist architecture, and, particularly, the automobile. The solutions include multi-use zoning districts, car-free urban cores, revised tax laws, Beaux-Arts design principles, and, in particular, the neo-traditionalist school of architecture and city planning known as "new urbanism." It's possible to disagree with some of Kunstler's conclusions--the hope that large numbers of commuters will give up their single-passenger vehicles for public transit downtown has been discredited in city after city--without abandoning his larger goal: a return to a saner urban geography and, with it, to a saner way of life. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In a slashing, fervent, practical, brilliant critique of the philosophy?or lack thereof?underpinning today's dismal American cities and isolating suburbs, Kunstler argues that our streets, malls, parks, civic buildings and houses frustrate innate psychological needs, violate human scale and thwart our desire to participate in the larger world. An architectural design critic (The Geography of Nowhere) and a novelist, he champions "new urbanism," an architectural reform movement dedicated to producing cohesive, mixed-use neighborhoods for people of widely different incomes, neighborhoods resembling U.S. towns prior to WWII. Using photos and line drawings throughout, he highlights numerous new urbanism-inspired projects around the country, from Seaside, a resort town on the Florida panhandle, to redevelopment schemes in Providence, Memphis, Columbus and Corning, N.Y. He also lashes what he considers the major obstacles to new urbanism-banks that make loans only to projects creating more suburban sprawl; stifling zoning laws; and a property-tax system that punishes builders of quality and "rewards those who let existing buildings go to hell." First serial to the Atlantic.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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First Sentence
HISTORY doesn't believe anybody's advertising. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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3.0 out of 5 stars passionate but uneven, Feb 18 2004

By A Customer

This book started out on a strong note, with Kunstler's typically searing rhetoric and a well-written overview of what's wrong with American city and town planning. However, it soon deteriorated into undisciplined discussions about farming and the political saga of Saratoga Springs. Eventually, the book peters out almost completely, as Kunstler waxes nostalgic about his boyhood in New York and ends with a bizarre, egocentric soliloquy that has something to do with painting a McDonald's and biking to the YMCA.

I was disappointed with the unevenness of this book, especially after such a powerful, interesting beginning. Also, Kunstler's personality and opinions on certain issues are likely to turn some readers off; he frequently seems almost crotchety and bitter as he frowns on things like "teenage rebellion," rock & roll, and "black Nationalism." Although Kunstler's commitment to sound planning principles is admirable, his views on more complex sociopolitical issues are so simplistic as to just make him seem stupid (for example, he essentially denies the significance of systematic racial discrimination). Unfortunately, Kunstler makes it seem like he wants to go back to the ultimate '50s version of small-town life, complete with corner five-and-dime stores, ballgames in the Ramble, and cheery milk deliverymen. He does *not* seem to favor exciting urban development like the kind happening in Europe, since it might contain people "dressed in high top sneakers and a sideways hat."

I would recommend Kunstler's "The Geography of Nowhere" to this sequel. Or if you must read this book, maybe you could follow it up with something like William Upski Wimsatt's "Bomb the Suburbs," which at least shows an appreciation for the vibrancy of *modern* city life.

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5.0 out of 5 stars An Urban Champion, Jul 30 2003

By	S. Smith (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

James Kunstler has written what should be considered the 'new urbanism' manifesto. In 'Home From Nowhere', Kunstler tackles the many problems in urban America and offers some real world solutions and ideas. From the car-free urban core, to progressive zoning and urban taxation, he paves the road on how to strengthen and remodel our vital urban cores. I would highly recommend this book to any future or current urban city council members, or future or present state politicians. This is a great vision of what our urban areas could become, and Kunstler paints the picture in broad and realistic strokes. Five stars.

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3.0 out of 5 stars disappointing sequel, Nov 19 2002

By	"gabed" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I was enthralled by Kunstler's first book, _The Geography of Nowhere_, but extremely disappointed by _Home from Nowhere_. His strength in _The Geography of Nowhere_ was in pointing out the fatal flaws in post-war urban planning - that he is at once disgusted, cynical and passionate about city design made it a compelling read. But _Home from Nowhere_ falls flat as often happens when someone who is very good at finding problems decides to find solutions. Kunstler's proposals are often not helpful, and many (esp. in the area of property tax reform) have already been tried unsuccessfully in a few cities. Kunstler seems to have become a devotee of Andres Duany - but Duany's _Suburban Nation_ is a much more worthwhile read for those interested in eliminating suburban sprawl and poor urban planning.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Remodeling Hell
The author of this book is a novelist by trade, with eight completed works already under his belt. However, having had no formal architectural training, his understanding of the... Read more

Published on Oct 3 2002 by J.W.K

3.0 out of 5 stars Resonates with me
I read Kunstler's work on New Urbanism because it resonates with me. I used to drive an hour each way through work through mind-rending traffic, and I lived in subdivision where I... Read more

Published on Sep 30 2002 by Shannon B Davis

4.0 out of 5 stars A facsinating book written by a pompous...
I found this book intriguing, and I wholeheartedly agree with many of Mr. Kunstler's observations and suggestions. Read more

Published on Mar 15 2002

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile endeavor, but questionable perspectives
I really don't want to badmouth Mr. Kunstler, for he has done quite a bit of good for our society. I was blown away by Geography of Nowhere, as I read it in an afternoon sitting... Read more

Published on Sep 7 2001