In a post on Olivia Judson's blog for the NYTimes, Leon Kreitzman discusses the hidden patterns mathematics has identified in the efficiency of cities.
He talks about Zipf's Law -- that city size in a nation is inversely proportional to rank (i.e. the biggest city is 2X as large as the 2nd-biggest, and 3X as large as the third biggest) -- and the way cities get more efficient as they get bigger. A topic also covered here, and a trait that is shared not just by cities, but also by mammals.
The similarities between cities and mammals are particularly interesting because they highlight the fact that cities and animals are in some ways both organisms. Mammals are collections of cells and organs organized through evolution to perpetuate life (ignoring for the moment, more lofty potential explanations). Cities are collections of individuals and infrastructure organized through society to enhance productivity and growth. Makes one wonder what the relevant organs correspond to in a city. I've always heard people say City Hall is full of assholes.
(Image above by Lee Jang Sub)
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