The City In Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition [Hardcover]

James Howard Kunstler (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0684845911 | ISBN-13: 978-0684845913 | Publication Date: January 1, 2002

In "The Geography of Nowhere," James Howard Kunstler declared suburbia "a tragic landscape of cartoon architecture, junked cities, and ravaged countryside" and put himself at the heart of a fierce debate over how we will live in twenty-first century America. Now, Kunstler turns his wickedly mordant and astute eye on urban life both in America and across the world. From classical Rome to the "gigantic hairball" of contemporary Atlanta, he offers a far-reaching discourse on the history and current state of urban life.

"The City in Mind" tells the story of urban design and how the architectural makeup of a city directly influences its culture as well as its success. From the ingenious architectural design of Louis-Napoleon's renovation of Paris to the bloody collision of cultures that occurred when Cortes conquered the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, from the grandiose architectural schemes of Hitler and Albert Speer to the meanings behind the ludicrous spectacle of Las Vegas, Kunstler opens up a new dialogue on the development and effects of urban construction. In his investigations, he discovers American communities in the Sunbelt and Southwest alienated from each other and themselves, Northeastern cities caught between their initial civic construction and our current car-obsessed society, and a disparate Europe with its mix of pre-industrial creativity, and war-marked reminders of the twentieth century.

Expanding on ideas first discussed in Jane Jacobs' seminal work, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," Kunstler looks to Europe to discover what is constant and enduring in cities at their greatest, and at the same time, how a city's design can be directly linked toits decline. In these dazzling excursions he finds the reasons that America got lost in its suburban wilderness and locates the pathways in culture that might lead to a civic revival here. Kunstler's examination of these cities is at once a concise history of their urban lives and a detailed criticism of how those histories have either aided or hindered the social and civil progress of the cities' occupants. By turns dramatic and wildly comic, and always authoritative, "The City in Mind," is an exceptional glimpse into the urban condition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Author and urban gadfly Kunstler (Home from Nowhere; Geography of Nowhere) has graduated from the nowheresville of previous titles to a punchy new study of eight cities in as many chapters: Paris, Atlanta, Mexico City, Berlin, Las Vegas, Rome, Boston, and London. Outspoken and straining for an aphoristic style, Kunstler lacks the overt humanistic impulses of urban studies writers like Jane Jacobs or Lewis Mumford. Instead, he favors snappy observations such as "If Las Vegas truly is our city of the future, then we might as well all cut our throats tomorrow." Kunstler tosses off insults to icons like the distinguished architect I.M. Pei: "Few architects have done as much wholesome damage to any city as the partners I.M. Pei and Harry Cobb did in Boston." He also dips into the unconsciously funny during a stroll through London's Hampstead Heath in which he turns out to be possibly the only urban scholar unaware of its gay cruising grounds, or what Kunstler calls "this somewhat sordid destination." While there are more serious reflections here, the book's generally ill temper is most likely to please readers who want a Don Ricklesian poke-and-prod version of urban affairs. And one is also left wondering what the "urban condition" might be in more easterly world cities.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Cities are good. Suburbs are bad. Paris is good. Las Vegas is bad. Boston? Stay tuned. Kunstler, a vociferous, highly opinionated critic of the urban landscape, takes an uncompromisingly hard look at how eight cities (Paris, Atlanta, Mexico City, Berlin, Las Vegas, Rome, Boston, and London), either through inspired ideas or chaotic greed, became sublime expressions of the human spirit or of gigantic monstrosities and perversion. The subtitle is appropriate, for the author makes little attempt to be systematic or comprehensive in his discussions. Although he never raises the analysis above the level of a popular magazine article, his writing is admittedly bold and thought-provoking throughout. One can learn a great deal about Louis Napoleon's renovation of Paris, Hitler's and Albert Speer's megalomaniac architectural plans for Berlin, Bugsy Segal's "setting the tone" for Las Vegas, and more. The real charm of the book, however, is not Kunstler's rambles through each city's historical and geographical spaces but his plea for a more human-focused urban landscape. For public libraries. Glenn Masuchika, Rockwell Collins Information Ctr., Cedar Rapids, IA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684845911
• ISBN-13: 978-0684845913
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #417,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Howard Kunstler is probably best known as the author of "The Long Emergency" (The Atlantic Monthly Press 2005), and "The Geography of Nowhere" (Simon and Schuster, 1993). Two other non-fiction titles in that series are "Home From Nowhere" (Simon and Schuster, 1996), and "The City in Mind" (Simon and Schuster, 2002). He's also the author of many novels, including his tale of the post-oil American future, "World Made By Hand" (The Atlantic Monthly press, 2008). The sequel will be published in the fall of 2010. His shorter work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic Monthly, Metropolis, Rolling Stone, Playboy, and many other periodicals.

James Howard Kunstler was born in New York City in 1948. He attended New York's High School of Music and art and SUNY Brockport (BA, Theater, 1971). He was a reporter for the Boston Phoenix, the Albany Knickerbocker News, and later an editor with Rolling Stone Magazine. In 1975 he dropped out of corporate journalism to write books, and settled in Saratoga Spring, New York, where he has lived ever since.

Kunstler's popular blog, Clusterf**k Nation, is published every Monday morning at www.kunstler.com and his weekly podcast, The KunstlerCast, is refreshed every Thursday.

Kunstler is also a serious professional painter. His work may be seen at www.kunstler.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a quick if disjointed read, May 21, 2003

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Shannon B Davis "Nepenthe" (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The City In Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition (Hardcover)

A City in Mind is a quick read. Each chapter presents a city from Kunstler's unique point of view. He often spends a great deal of time on the history of the city - sometimes too much time - but the reader learns about why the city developed as it did. Some chapters are brilliant. The history of post-revolution Paris is quite fascinating, especially when compared to London. Rome, as one of the first major Western cities, is thankfully not left out. And as a Boston resident, I greatly enjoyed the chapter on Boston, particularly as he named Boston as the city most likely to thrive in the coming century.

Kunstler rips into Las Vegas like no other city before. I enjoy his sarcastic diatribes, but I know some people who are annoyed by them. After reading about Las Vegas, I can honestly say I'm glad that I've never been there. On the other hand, I think I could have attempted to have a bit more fun than JHK had I spent some time there.

This is not the best of Kunstler's books, but as a die-hard Kunstler fan, I had to read it. I would recommend the would-be reader to start with Geography of Nowhere or Home from Nowhere. Both lay the groundwork for understanding where A City In Mind is coming from. Kunstler writes a kind of sarcastic, comedic commentary on the state of our world when he isn't praising new urbanism - my favorite urban movement.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting and witty, January 7, 2003

By 

M. Chackerian (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The City in Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition (Paperback)

I feel sorry for all those people here that give this book a poor review. It appears that it didn't match their expectations, or they just didn't "get it". I had never even heard of this author before, let alone read any of his other works, so I couldn't be disappointed.

This book is not trying to be comprehensive in its critique of cities. In fact, some of the chapters on cities don't necessarily have much to do with the cities themselves. Instead the author rambles on delightfully with a tapestry of anecdotes, sometimes about people, sometimes about places, set in the past, the present, and even the future. It might all seem a little bit disconnected unless you catch on to the underlying themes, his very strong opinions regarding what makes cities livable and unlivable places. He cares a lot--he is not just insulting I.M. Pei and others for the sake of getting attention.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kunstler Strikes Again, January 9, 2002

By 

Goodsalt (West Chester, PA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The City In Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition (Hardcover)

Any review of a James Howard Kunstler book must nearly by necessity begin with a tip of the hat to his "Nowhere" books, to acknowledge their quality, to (perhaps) lend an air of authority to the reviewer, but most of all to place in context his current offering. The City in Mind enlarges and deepens the concern he voiced in those previous books for the human condition, as it is affected by our man-made environment, specifically living arrangements such as cities and, even more particularly in those prior works - suburbs. While continuing to skewer our domestic "National Automobile Slum" which made his "Nowhere" books famous (look out Atlanta), Mr. Kunstler presents a broad and rich discussion of eight cities both domestic and foreign, in chapters devoted to, and named after, each city in question.

Kunstler describes the historical evolution of each metropolis as it developed through the geography, culture, personalities, and psychology particular to it. In so doing he provides an explanation for the current condition of each, and attempts a prognosis. In earlier days, Kunstler wrote novels (Embarrassment of Riches, etc.), so he knows how to tell a story. And the story of each of these cities is vivid - so vivid in fact that Kunstler could easily bring his ample literary skills to bear on writing history and do it in a way that would enthrall people who otherwise find it lifeless. For example, the first chapter on Paris describes the massive renovation undertaken by Louis Napoleon and his able administrator Haussmann. Those for whom this era in the life of one of the world's most beloved cities is unknown (like me) will find the fascinating details provided (funding projects via convoluted financial schemes, providing water to the City of Light via Roman-like aqueducts) a revelation. Or read about the institutionalized Aztec cult of human sacrifice and cannibalism for a real eye-opener.

From a broad description of the history of each city, Kunstler increases the resolution, focusing on aspects of urban and architectural design. He provides insight into why and how design principles, primarily the classical rules as developed by the Greeks and Romans, can enhance our surroundings where they are employed, or damage them where they are not. These aesthetic considerations are complemented by Kunstler's appreciation for tougher realities, such as the threats imposed by the peaking of global oil production on places like Las Vegas, or the scarcity of fresh water to places like Mexico City. In any case, his message is clear - we must change our man-made environment or risk those things we value most.

No review would be complete without a mention of the mode of Kunstler's writing style used in the service of exposing the dreadful effects of malconfigured urban and suburban landscapes, a style termed "wickedly mordant" elsewhere. This description is too restrictive: one that I prefer is savagely eloquent, a phrase that captures the uplifting, positive aspects of his writing, while acknowledging his masterful sarcasm. Here's an eloquent example as he stands on a hill in Rome, surveying its ruins: "On the Palatine Hill, time's remorseless power is revealed in the silence that shrouds the enormity of a civilization's destruction and the palpable shock waves that still emanate from its physical residue". Beyond all this, I find his prose simultaneously funny, entertaining, touching, instructive, brutal - astonishingly expressive regardless of the subject - and it makes for marvelous reading.

I made mention earlier of Kunstler's humor, which doesn't do his comedic skills justice; at times his stuff can be hilarious. These laugh-out-loud sections I have taken to reading to my family at their request. Read the description of tourists crossing 150-foot wide thoroughfares in Las Vegas in a sort of modern day "Bataan death march", and you'll know what I mean.

Otherwise get the book and read it for all the reasons I've described. It's a special book, one that can evoke and recognize the tragic, and yet be comedic at the same time - classical in a way. In his Roman chapter, Kunstler asks if the classical can rescue us - his book will certainly help.