Here’s a thought-provoking documentary from 2004 called “The End of Suburbia.” It’s basically about how much energy suburban lifestyles consume, and how that lifestyle will be threatened by peak oil. In light of the challenges peak oil presents, a return to good urban design (traditional town planning, New Urbanism, whatever you want to call it) will be a way that we can consume less energy.

Here’s the thing: I don’t see why we should have to wait for some apocalyptic scenario to scare us or force us into efficient use of our natural resources. We should be doing that anyway as good stewards of the earth. But I guess I’m being a bit too idealistic.

This video is about 52 minutes long: