Yeah, it's sad. I live right outside Boulder, Colorado--a stunning region plastered by sprawl. I often think to myself, "what would this look like without development"--without the 8 lane highways, endless subdivisions and sprawl? There's so little reverence for unspoilt space in America, just like there's little reverence for unoccupied time. Everything must be filled and busy, even if what's filling space and time is garbage.

The whole American Dream is largely a fiction designed by the banks, government (VA loans and Red scare) and real estate and car industries in the mid 20th century. There are many thriving nations and peoples whose happiness and security are tethered to their possessions; their tethered to their families, communities, and cultures--things that tend to get undermined by possessions.

I agree, this is unlikely to end without calamity. Too many vested interests--banks, car industry, gas/oil, consumer goods, infrastructure, etc., etc. Like weapons manufacturers, I call these "upside-downside" industries--they profit (upside) from collective ruin (downside). These industries have become all powerful nowadays, economically and politically at least. The culture must shift, but it may not do that unless reacting to crisis.