December « 2010 « City Block

A universal theory of cities

CC Image from lopolis

Last week, the New York Times Magazine featured a lengthy piece from Jonah Lehrer about two physicists who have formulated a sort of universal law for urban living. The single biggest determinant of urban performance is size – increasingly large agglomerations offer economies of scale – people who live and work

Continue reading A universal theory of cities

Agglomeration, continued

More items of note on agglomeration:

From City Journal, the “Seven Pillars of Agglomeration.”

Economies of scale in production
Economies of scale in trade and transportation
Falling transportation and communication costs
Proximity with other firms in the same industry
Advantages of diversity
The quest for the center (of the industry)
Buzz and bright lights

And, from The New Republic‘s Avenue blog, a visualization of

Continue reading Agglomeration, continued

Nightlife agglomerations & the corner bar

The Corner Bar, Divernon IL – CC image from Randy von Liski

A few booze-related items I thought I’d comment on:

The Hill is Home takes note of ANC 6B‘s seemingly preferred method to avoid “Adams Morganization” – a moratorium on all new liquor licenses. Nevermind that the trigger for this fear of Adams Morgan is

Continue reading Nightlife agglomerations & the corner bar

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City Block

A universal theory of cities

Agglomeration, continued

Nightlife agglomerations & the corner bar

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