Scientists from the Santa Fe Institute have discovered basic patterns underlying the way cities have always grown. The mechanics of "urban scaling" may have something fundamental to tell us about how large settlements evolve.

Building upon earlier research on the evolution of large-scale human settlements, a team from the Santa Fe Institute examined a range of archaeological data from ancient Mexican cities. Their findings, published here, hint at a broad theory of "urban scaling" that relates the output of a city to its size.
The article chronicles the scientists' excitement at these results, which point to a congruence between ancient and modern urban economics. This despite the fact that "ancient cities weren't profit-oriented, they didn't have capitalist investment like they do today and they were more likely to have rulers with a tight grip on the economy."
This work informs ongoing study of social networks and the city's role as an idea incubator. Of note are increasing returns: as both ancient and modern cities expand, the economic output of their citizens grows disproportionately to population. The theory of urban scaling "implies that some of the most robust patterns in modern urban systems derive from processes that have been part of human societies all along."
FULL STORY: Ancient cities grew pretty much like modern ones, say scientists

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Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

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Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

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The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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