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Luis M. A. Bettencourt – Introduction to Urban Science

    Evidence and Theory of Cities as Complex Systems

    Sean Carroll’s Mindscape | 27 July 2026 | 1h 20m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify

    Interview with Luis M. A. Bettencourt about his book Introduction to Urban Science: Evidence and Theory of Cities as Complex Systems. Discusses cities as complex systems exhibiting universal scaling laws akin to biological organisms. Explains how urban size (population) quantitatively relates to socio-economic outputs – like crime, innovation, and infrastructure – through superlinear and sublinear scaling. Highlights cities as ‘social accelerators’, fostering innovation and personal transformation, through the division of knowledge and human interaction. Offers insights on how to build better urban environments.

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    Fixing Sick Cities (with Alain Bertaud)

      EconTalk | 23 December 2024 | 1h 10m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
      Follow on interview with Alain Bertaud about his book Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities. (See also the 2019 interview.) Discusses urban problems and the planning restrictions that drive them. Suggests how to solve them – not through urban design or planning – but by respecting what makes each city unique.

      Stephen Jennings on Building New Cities

        Conversations with Tyler | 1 November 2023 | 0h 53m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
        Interview with Stephen Jennings about developing new urban landscapes across Africa, why he’s optimistic about Kenya in particular, why so many African cities appear to have low agglomeration externalities, how Tatu City regulates cars and designs for transportation, how his experience as reformer and privatizer informed the way utilities are provided, what will set the city apart aesthetically, why talent is the biggest constraint he faces, how Nairobi should fix its traffic problems, what variable best tracks Kenyan unity, what the country should do to boost agricultural productivity, the economic prospects for New Zealand, how playing rugby influenced his approach to the world, how living in Kenya has changed him, what he will learn next, and more.

        Edward Glaeser – Cities, Terrorism, Housing, & Remote Work

          The Lunar Society | 28 November 2022 | 0h 57m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
          Interview with Edward Glaeser about cities. Discusses why cities are resilient to terrorism, remote work, & pandemics; why Silicon Valley may collapse but the Sunbelt will prosper; and why opioids show UBI is not a solution to AI. Draws from his books Triumph of the City and Survival of the City.

          Ancient Cities with Greg Woolf

            Charter Cities | 30 November 2020 | 1h 02m | Listen Later | Spotify
            Interview with Greg Woolf about his book The Life and Death of Ancient Cities: A Natural History. Discusses the common traditions that create a city and how those essential precursors have influenced human behaviour; how language and resources have travelled across the globe since ancient times; the collapse of the Bronze Age, the following urbanization in the Mediterranean, and some key factors that influenced the locations of ancient cities; the comparative advantage that Rome had over its neighbours; and the role governance plays in the evolution of cities.