Comments on: Blame Lewis Mumford

By: Mumford’s The Word | citytank

Mumford’s The Word | citytank — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 22:45:33 +0000

[...] big part of my obsession with Lewis Mumford is fueled by his extraordinary prescience. In a review of a recent University of [...]

By: festivals

festivals — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:44:46 +0000

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By: C200: The City In History | citytank

C200: The City In History | citytank — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:10:40 +0000

[...] Lewis Mumford pretty much invented the concept of the multidisciplinary interpretation of cities when he published The Culture of Cities in 1938. Twenty three years and 12 books later he published the classic The City in History, the last and third-to-last paragraphs of which are reprinted above (emphasis added). It says a lot about Mumford that he concludes his masterwork—widely recognized as one of the most influential books on cities ever written—by twice invoking the word “love.” Share [...]

By: Donn Creviston

Donn Creviston — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:54:40 +0000

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By: Education Guidebook

Education Guidebook — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:31:00 +0000

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By: Gustavo Auckerman

Gustavo Auckerman — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 18:01:21 +0000

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By: Transit-Oriented Communities: A Blueprint for Washington State | hugeasscity

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:43:59 +0000

[...] wonky/planful/urban designy goodness—I should know because I helped write it. Since in a past life I was an electrical engineering researcher, I took on a lot of the techy stuff, like energy and [...]

By: Don’t Even Think Of Trying Your Park(ing) Day Shenanigans On Any Other Day | hugeasscity

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:40:19 +0000

[...] before long was joined by three friends who happened to be walking by checking out the scene. As Lewis Mumford put it, “The city is a place for multiplying happy chances and making the most of unplannable [...]

By: dan bertolet

dan bertolet — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:12:53 +0000

Josh, I can die happy now knowing that I’ve convinced at least one other person to read the Myth of the Machine. Seriously! Not one of my big-brained friends or urbanist geek colleagues have read it.

By: Josh Mahar

Josh Mahar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:44:09 +0000

Great Post Dan, and props for inspiring me to read The Myth. I too was utterly mind blown.

What I think you left out of this little synopsis though is that when Mumford talks about Machines he isn’t always talking about technology as we know it, but rather the fundamental ability to control large amounts of energy at one time. The megamachine, as first developed in the Pyramid Age was a mass manipulation of people to manifest the wild dreams and ideas that inhabit the subconscious. I think where are culture is heading for disaster is the idea that our culture not only believes that our fantasies and delusions all need to be materialized, but that it is our sole purpose as a functioning society to develop machines which can accomplish this.

Where I was really turned while reading The Myth was how a MASS transportation fits into this. It almost seems like the innovation and creativity involved in personalized, diversified transportation would be ideal when compared to a centralized transit systsem always aimed at moving MORE people at HIGHER speeds. Realistically the idealism spouted in the ideas of contemporary Light Rail advocates can be parralleled to the idealism of the interstate highway and freeway system through the 40’s and 50’s. Its inherent megamachine construction will inevitably cause disaster.