Suburbs

Over the years, when Michael and I have gone house hunting, I have always said that I want to be able to walk to the store for bread and milk. This meant that moving to the depths of the suburbs was not an option. It did not mean that we did not have a car and in fact we now have two cars but I do not want to rely on them. I want to be mobile and walk or take transit if necessary. I live near necessities-the library, shops and could take transit to my activities if I needed to. I prefer not but have been known to take a bus or two.
According to American author, public speaker and social critic James Howard Kunstler: "The suburban "project" is over. Big cities will contract in size. Highrise towers will be impractical."
The future will include a return to locally grown food- I love my tomatoes- the cherry tomatoes were the biggest success last year. The future also includes a resurgence of small cities and towns and an end to the days of "Happy Motoring" and the car-dependent society as world oil production declines.
Peak Oil is the term used to describe the time when the global production of oil has reached its maximum and then begins a terminal decline. When that will happen is a matter of debate; some claim it could be one year or 30 years away; some believe that it's happening now. Kunstler said that we are "in the zone" for what he calls the Long Emergency, a challenging and turbulent transition away from fossil fuel dependency.
As the song says: "The times they are a changing." Get on those walking shoes.