Name: The surprising math of cities and corporations
Uploaded: 2011-07-26T14:32:00Z
Duration: 17 min 16 s
Description: Physicist Geoffrey West has found that simple, mathematical laws govern the properties of cities -- that wealth, crime rate, walking speed and many other aspects of a city can be deduced from a single number: the city's population. In this mind-bending talk from TEDGlobal he shows how it works and how similar laws hold for organisms and corporations.

Physicist Geoffrey West has found that simple, mathematical laws govern the properties of cities -- that wealth, crime rate, walking speed and many other aspects of a city can be deduced from a single number: the city's population. In this mind-bending talk from TEDGlobal he shows how it works and how similar laws hold for organisms and corporations.

Geoffrey West: The surprising math of cities and corporations

The surprising math of cities and corporations

With cities' growth, we see a 15% rise in wealth and innovation per capita, yet also in crime and pollution, a double-edged sword.

Economies and cities, driven by innovation, require a continuous cycle of invention to sustain growth and avert collapse.

Scaling cities like biological organisms reveals patterns in infrastructure and social dynamics, pointing to sustainable urban expansion.