Reader’s Corner

Summer has arrived, and if you live in one of the country’s urban centers—New York, Chicago, LA, Houston—chances are good you’re experiencing the same thing: heat, crowds, traffic, bustle. To live in one of these places is, in some ways, to trade the rhythms of the wild for the rhythms of the human. But it also means joining most of the rest of humanity—over fifty percent of who now live in urban areas.

The coming decades will bring big change for our built environments. As the climate warms, fossil fuels become increasingly scarce, and the global economy shakes and shifts, how will cities adapt? What role might they play in dealing with the shocks of a rapidly changing planet? Will density and concrete be important tools for resilience, or will they become costly and unworkable—or even unlivable?

In the July/August issue of Orion, author and futurist James Howard Kunstler speculates on the future of American cities—some of which, he says, will fare better than others. What do you think? Will skyscrapers go extinct? Will river systems again become important transportation corridors? Will density and walkability be the keys to low-impact living?

As always, Orion welcomes your thoughts, stories, and comments.