Yesterday (Thurs. 11/20) I wrapped up The Geography of Nowhere in class lecture. Hopefully, you have all finished reading that book by now. Remember that you need to start reading our final book, The End of the Hamptons, of which I only plan to cover pp. 1-82 in some fashion during the final week of the semester. You should also be reading that book for the sake of ESSAY II, which will be due on Tuesday 12/2 after the break.
On our next class, Tuesday 11/25, I will be handing back your papers and we'll be seeing a video entitled "The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream." The video will take up the entire class period. If you'd like to earn 5 extra credit points, you can write a one-page response to seeing that film in which you identify and briefly discuss what you thought was the STRONGEST and WEAKEST aspect of the documentary. If you choose to do this, this one-page response will be due on the Tuesday 12/2 after the break.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Geography of Nowhere, Chapter 9 Notes & ESSAY II on The End of the Hamptons
Below are lecture notes on Chapter 9. Since tomorrow (Tues. 11/18) will be devoted to hearing about your papers, on Thursday 11/20 we'll pick up with Chapter 10. I plan to condense my notes considerably so as to finish my commentary on the book on that day.
Chapter Nine: A Place Called Home
A. Kunstler opens with an ironic observation about the number of housing starts in 1992, which is usually interpreted as an indicator of progress.
"In 1992, there were 1,200,000 housing starts."
"It's a figure that ought to send chills up the spine of a reflective person because these housing starts do not represent newly minted towns, or anything describable as real coherent communities. Rather, they represent monoculture tract developments of cookie cutter bunkers on half-acre lots in far-flung suburbs, or else houses plopped down in isolation along country roads in what had been cornfields, pastures, or woods. In any case, one can rest assured that they will only add to the problems of our present economy and American civilization. They will relate poorly to other things around them, they will eat up more countryside, and they will increase the public fiscal burden." (p. 147)
1. He then comments that his main complaint against the modern home is not so much what it looks like inside or whether, technically, it is an improvement, but how it relates or fails to relate to a town.
B. He launches into a history of architectural styles of houses going back to colonial times. He makes some interesting observations about styles and materials, but it is not until he gets to the modern, largely mass-produced home that he becomes especially critical.
1. In this context, a key late-19th century innovation was the balloon-frame, wooden home. Notes the devastating consequences this had for Chicago -- the great Chicago fire of 1871. Still, it later became the dominant building method for private homes in the already developing suburbs. See pp. 162-3. Note especially, the following critical observation:
"A far more enduring legacy of the balloon frame was that it transformed the craft of house building into an industry. In so doing it turned houses into commodities, things made above all to be sold at a profit, so that those who ended up living in them were not the same ones who built them, meaning that they were houses built without affection -- merely products whacked together for a mass market." (p. 163)
a.) Sears & Roebuck got into the business of selling mass-produced house kits.
b.) Sheetrock and plywood sheathing also came into wide use, no longer requiring skilled craftsmen to install, like plaster.
2. He mentions Frank Lloyd Wright and one of his designs which inspired the ranch style home. Then, there was the more influential model for the new post-war suburbs -- Downing's ideal of the "villa in the country," which made no pretense to be part of a city. (p. 165)
C. "By the 1920s, with the car on the scene, all the elements were in place for the mass selling of mass-produced houses to the masses of corporate toilers, except easy financing,..." Which the federal FHA and VA programs solved. (p. 166)
D. Kunstler then broadly describes the "American Dream" of postwar America in very critical terms. (See middle two paragraphs p. 166) In this context, he also comments on why American homes lack "charm," suggesting this is not a trivial point. (See middle paragraph, p. 168.)
E. He goes on to note how building codes and zoning ordinances (such as setting houses 25 feet back from the street) contribute to the degradation of housing today.
F. He also takes a whack at the home improvement industry which tries to convince relatively unskilled homeowners that they can make significant changes without much skill. Eg., comments critically on aluminum and vinyl-siding which are supposed to be, but clearly aren't, maintenance-free.
G. Finally, Kunstler comments on the American penchant for mobility, which also contributes to the debasement of our housing. The theme of "the geography of nowhere" comes through here as well. (See last paragraph, p. 173.)
That brings us up to Chapter 10, which is where I'll begin on Thursday and wrap up the rest of this book.
_______________________
Sociology 230
Essay II
11/17/08
A. Although the story of the Hamptons is unique in some ways, as Corey Dolgon is at pains to bring out in The End of the Hamptons, it does manifest some of the same problems with suburbia that we have been focusing on in this course, especially those brought out in The Geography of Nowhere. For this essay, I want you to focus on Chapter 2, Houses in Fields, and identify and briefly describe any TWO problems that resemble problems we've already discussed in this class. Also, I want you to highlight ONE feature of this story of the Hamptons that you consider UNIQUE or UNUSUAL.
B. The essay should be roughly 3-4 pages. I believe it would be appropriate to quote some relevant passages from the book, and if you do so, of course, be sure to indicate the page number(s) on which they appeared.
C. This essay is due TUESDAY, DEC. 2ND, which is the first class after the Thanksgiving break. Let me STRONGLY suggest you begin working on this BEFORE the break.
____________________________
In terms of reading The End of the Hamptons, I want you to read through the first two chapters, or pp. 1-82.
Chapter Nine: A Place Called Home
A. Kunstler opens with an ironic observation about the number of housing starts in 1992, which is usually interpreted as an indicator of progress.
"In 1992, there were 1,200,000 housing starts."
"It's a figure that ought to send chills up the spine of a reflective person because these housing starts do not represent newly minted towns, or anything describable as real coherent communities. Rather, they represent monoculture tract developments of cookie cutter bunkers on half-acre lots in far-flung suburbs, or else houses plopped down in isolation along country roads in what had been cornfields, pastures, or woods. In any case, one can rest assured that they will only add to the problems of our present economy and American civilization. They will relate poorly to other things around them, they will eat up more countryside, and they will increase the public fiscal burden." (p. 147)
1. He then comments that his main complaint against the modern home is not so much what it looks like inside or whether, technically, it is an improvement, but how it relates or fails to relate to a town.
B. He launches into a history of architectural styles of houses going back to colonial times. He makes some interesting observations about styles and materials, but it is not until he gets to the modern, largely mass-produced home that he becomes especially critical.
1. In this context, a key late-19th century innovation was the balloon-frame, wooden home. Notes the devastating consequences this had for Chicago -- the great Chicago fire of 1871. Still, it later became the dominant building method for private homes in the already developing suburbs. See pp. 162-3. Note especially, the following critical observation:
"A far more enduring legacy of the balloon frame was that it transformed the craft of house building into an industry. In so doing it turned houses into commodities, things made above all to be sold at a profit, so that those who ended up living in them were not the same ones who built them, meaning that they were houses built without affection -- merely products whacked together for a mass market." (p. 163)
a.) Sears & Roebuck got into the business of selling mass-produced house kits.
b.) Sheetrock and plywood sheathing also came into wide use, no longer requiring skilled craftsmen to install, like plaster.
2. He mentions Frank Lloyd Wright and one of his designs which inspired the ranch style home. Then, there was the more influential model for the new post-war suburbs -- Downing's ideal of the "villa in the country," which made no pretense to be part of a city. (p. 165)
C. "By the 1920s, with the car on the scene, all the elements were in place for the mass selling of mass-produced houses to the masses of corporate toilers, except easy financing,..." Which the federal FHA and VA programs solved. (p. 166)
D. Kunstler then broadly describes the "American Dream" of postwar America in very critical terms. (See middle two paragraphs p. 166) In this context, he also comments on why American homes lack "charm," suggesting this is not a trivial point. (See middle paragraph, p. 168.)
E. He goes on to note how building codes and zoning ordinances (such as setting houses 25 feet back from the street) contribute to the degradation of housing today.
F. He also takes a whack at the home improvement industry which tries to convince relatively unskilled homeowners that they can make significant changes without much skill. Eg., comments critically on aluminum and vinyl-siding which are supposed to be, but clearly aren't, maintenance-free.
G. Finally, Kunstler comments on the American penchant for mobility, which also contributes to the debasement of our housing. The theme of "the geography of nowhere" comes through here as well. (See last paragraph, p. 173.)
That brings us up to Chapter 10, which is where I'll begin on Thursday and wrap up the rest of this book.
_______________________
Sociology 230
Essay II
11/17/08
A. Although the story of the Hamptons is unique in some ways, as Corey Dolgon is at pains to bring out in The End of the Hamptons, it does manifest some of the same problems with suburbia that we have been focusing on in this course, especially those brought out in The Geography of Nowhere. For this essay, I want you to focus on Chapter 2, Houses in Fields, and identify and briefly describe any TWO problems that resemble problems we've already discussed in this class. Also, I want you to highlight ONE feature of this story of the Hamptons that you consider UNIQUE or UNUSUAL.
B. The essay should be roughly 3-4 pages. I believe it would be appropriate to quote some relevant passages from the book, and if you do so, of course, be sure to indicate the page number(s) on which they appeared.
C. This essay is due TUESDAY, DEC. 2ND, which is the first class after the Thanksgiving break. Let me STRONGLY suggest you begin working on this BEFORE the break.
____________________________
In terms of reading The End of the Hamptons, I want you to read through the first two chapters, or pp. 1-82.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Reminder & Remainder of Notes on Chapter 8 in The Geography of Nowhere
Reminder: Paper is due next Tuesday (11/18) and be prepared to give a brief overview of your paper and comment on the photographs you took (10 minutes, maximum). The details of this paper assignment can be found in the Sept. 30th blog post.
_____________________
Remainder of notes on Chapter 8
C. Kunstler goes on to describe how Saratoga Springs developed a commercial strip on the way into town (as is evident locally, especially along West Main and Asheville highway leading into downtown Spartanburg).
1. A major reason for all the parking lots and unfriendly pedestrian environment are zoning ordinances which may have been well-intended. (He outlines the relevant zoning ordinances, mid. p. 136)
2. No effort is made to create a coherent vision of what South Broadway (the main drag into Saratoga Springs) should look like. Planners leave design questions to technical experts or traffic engineers who look at things from their narrow self-interest.
3. "The unwillingness to think about the public realm of the street in any other terms besides traffic shows how little value Americans confer on the public realm in general." (p. 138)
D. South Broadway becomes just Broadway as you enter the downtown of Saratoga Springs which has also fallen on hard times design-wise.
1. The old pattern of shops and stores of three to five stories with apartments above ground-floor retail space built up against sidewalks so pedestrians could look in shop windows, has given way to plazas and parking lots.
2. After World War II there was little interest in fixing up the old. We wanted new things. And since gas was plentiful and cheap, why not build with the car in mind? Kunstler also notes that the post-war notion that people should not be allowed to live where their business was, necessarily pushed people into suburbia and contributed significantly to the present crisis of affordable housing.
3. Notes that a lot of new construction had no other purpose but to make a profit. Eg. "The Red Barn building (fast-food joint) has only one function: the sale of cheap food in volume." This is in contrast to older buildings like the United States Hotel which also served as a public place, a social center. (Note his critical comment about a Ramada Inn built on Broadway, see mid p. 143)
E. Then, just outside Saratoga Springs, near the Interstate highway, and actually in the adjacent town of Wilton, went a shopping mall, which also helped drain the downtown (as Westgate Mall did Spartanburg's Main St.).
1. The corporation which built this mall had been guilty of attempting to buy a city counsel election in another city in order to build a mall there.
2. The mall proved a great stroke of fortune for Wilton because of the tax revenues, which allowed Wilton to eliminate residential property taxes altogether. But for how long?
3. Pretty soon another mall was proposed, a larger one. But where would they get the shoppers? Kunstler goes on to note how transitory the mall business tends to be. (see top p. 146)
That brings us to Chapter 9. I may do some more blogging of my notes given that I'd like to be wrapping this book up soon.
_____________________
Remainder of notes on Chapter 8
C. Kunstler goes on to describe how Saratoga Springs developed a commercial strip on the way into town (as is evident locally, especially along West Main and Asheville highway leading into downtown Spartanburg).
1. A major reason for all the parking lots and unfriendly pedestrian environment are zoning ordinances which may have been well-intended. (He outlines the relevant zoning ordinances, mid. p. 136)
2. No effort is made to create a coherent vision of what South Broadway (the main drag into Saratoga Springs) should look like. Planners leave design questions to technical experts or traffic engineers who look at things from their narrow self-interest.
3. "The unwillingness to think about the public realm of the street in any other terms besides traffic shows how little value Americans confer on the public realm in general." (p. 138)
D. South Broadway becomes just Broadway as you enter the downtown of Saratoga Springs which has also fallen on hard times design-wise.
1. The old pattern of shops and stores of three to five stories with apartments above ground-floor retail space built up against sidewalks so pedestrians could look in shop windows, has given way to plazas and parking lots.
2. After World War II there was little interest in fixing up the old. We wanted new things. And since gas was plentiful and cheap, why not build with the car in mind? Kunstler also notes that the post-war notion that people should not be allowed to live where their business was, necessarily pushed people into suburbia and contributed significantly to the present crisis of affordable housing.
3. Notes that a lot of new construction had no other purpose but to make a profit. Eg. "The Red Barn building (fast-food joint) has only one function: the sale of cheap food in volume." This is in contrast to older buildings like the United States Hotel which also served as a public place, a social center. (Note his critical comment about a Ramada Inn built on Broadway, see mid p. 143)
E. Then, just outside Saratoga Springs, near the Interstate highway, and actually in the adjacent town of Wilton, went a shopping mall, which also helped drain the downtown (as Westgate Mall did Spartanburg's Main St.).
1. The corporation which built this mall had been guilty of attempting to buy a city counsel election in another city in order to build a mall there.
2. The mall proved a great stroke of fortune for Wilton because of the tax revenues, which allowed Wilton to eliminate residential property taxes altogether. But for how long?
3. Pretty soon another mall was proposed, a larger one. But where would they get the shoppers? Kunstler goes on to note how transitory the mall business tends to be. (see top p. 146)
That brings us to Chapter 9. I may do some more blogging of my notes given that I'd like to be wrapping this book up soon.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Individual Activity
This morning we saw "Taken for a Ride" on the demise of the electric trolley and rise of the automobile. Remember, for 5 activity points I want you to write a one-page essay addressing the broad question of how this documentary relates to Kunstler's argument in Geography of Nowhere. I am going to return the video to the library, and since everyone saw it this morning I am just going to return this video to general circulation. I am not going to put it on reserve.
Continue reading in Geography of Nowhere, and don't forget the paper assignment which is based on Chapters 7 & 8. That assignment is due on Tuesday, Nov. 18th.
See you next tuesday, Nov. 11th.
Continue reading in Geography of Nowhere, and don't forget the paper assignment which is based on Chapters 7 & 8. That assignment is due on Tuesday, Nov. 18th.
See you next tuesday, Nov. 11th.
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