Yes, some of it is spurred by those thoughts. I happen to think that peak energy is a real thing that is going to hit the world very hard and should be taken seriously, but that people are burned out by all kinds of other "scares" that never came to pass. As a result I think when the energy supply chokes that the cards will mostly fall where they may, because nobody will really have done much of anything in preparation. If this happens soon, or in my lifetime, I would love Detroit to be a place where I could still call home, but nobody can predict how this place will go.

Detroit's best possible preparation for a peak energy catastrophe happens to be one that will be good for all parties even if everybody is wrong about such a catastrophe ever happening, which is to implement good urbanism, reactivate our waterways and install and maintain rail transportation.

Having knowledge and resources regarding growing food will be very helpful in such a situation. This is why I don't believe that I'm cynical about it. I just intend to point out that it's not some cure-all.

If a serious threat such as peak energy hits us, I think the best mental preparation is to feel that our home is worth continuing to cultivate. Good decisions, rather than a new technology, are the most likely to save us. Urban gardens will play a role just as they did in the 19th century, but they will not be our "next economy".

We'll never "go back" to the 19th century, nor should we. But we will need some of its knowledge to take the place of the 20th-century stuff that won't work anymore.