the living city

In virtually every species, the metabolic rate is equal to the mass of the animal raised to the 3/4 power [...] In metropolis after metropolis, the indicators of urban “metabolism” -like the per-capita consumption of gasoline or the surface area of roads or the total length of electrical cables- scaled to an exponent of (population)^0.8

In The Living City, Giles Revell explains the results of applying the science of metabolism to the metropolis for Seed Magazine. The research conducted by Geoffrey West of the Santa Fe Institute is revealing amazing facts that could make any believers of the Gaia theory freak out. It turns out that cities behave like organisms, and this is not just a metaphor.

Although it may be common sense to urbanists, there are now figures to support the notion that bigger cities are more efficient than small ones. There goes your naive assumptions about a green future: forget about trying to retire to a rural community to save the planet, it is better to keep growing large cities as they consume fewer resources and consume less space per capita.

But metropolis are not only more efficient, they are also more productive as a result of the high density social interactions they are able to sustain. In this aspect, they reveal qualities that are superior to those of any living organism. As they increase in size they promote mechanisms to grow even faster, as long as resources remain available. However, history has demonstrated that when cities were approaching their limits, threatening their growth, a breakthrough innovation changed the rules and reinforced the growth cycle. Innovation being the result of those social interactions, of course. Jane Jacobs had already observed the importance of a busy sidewalk to promote communication between city dwellers.