James Howard Kunstler, American author and critic

James Howard Kunstler is an American writer, social critic, public speaker, and blogger known for his analysis of urban development, suburbanization, and energy issues. Born in New York City to Jewish parents, he gained prominence through his non-fiction works critiquing American suburban development and predicting societal changes based on resource constraints. His most influential books include The Geography of Nowhere (1993) and Home from nowhere (1996), a critical examination of American suburbia and urban planning, The Long Emergency (2005) and Too Much Magic (2012), which explore the potential consequences of peak oil and energy depletion on modern civilization and humanity's over-reliance on technology to solve problems. Kunstler's work has become standard reading in architecture and urban planning courses, and he has been a prominent spokesperson for the New Urbanism movement.