James Kunstler gives a virtual tour of Detroit

[DetroitDad]

You probably shouldn't trust his facts without independently verifying them, but I don't think that necessarily reflects on his ideas about urban design, which are largely subjective and have very little to do with facts one way or the other. You don't have to know which sports team plays at the Joe to be able to look at it and observe that its design completely cuts it off from the rest of downtown, for example. I agree that a little preparation wouldn't have killed him, though.

Agreed. I think that some are giving him to much credit, and expecting to much out of his podcasts. He's a journalist? Maybe, but not here. Generally, he has a knack for getting people's attention. That gentlemen referred to him as "a generalist" to congress, "that shows us where we went wrong". I refer to him as a sort of a doorway into which you can find good sources of information.

I think my favorite show was Episode number 64, which is mostly Jamie Correa giving a speech at a university. Kunstler is not a source, but quotes a lot of good sources which are very knowledgeable on their individual subjects. After all, he DID refer his listeners to Lowell and DetroitYES for the tours, and as a result, all of us here.

It does seem that Kunstler might be a casual lurker here, along with many other big name new urbanists who get curious about the going ons in Detroit.