How Cities Grow Like Brains

Interconnectedness is just as important to brains as it is to cities, according to researchers who've just released a study about the organizational similarities between cities and brains.

1 minute read

September 24, 2009, 6:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg

"Just as advanced mammalian brains require a robust neural network to achieve richer and more complex thought, large cities require advanced highways and transportation systems to allow larger and more productive populations. The new study unearthed a striking similarity in how larger brains and cities deal with the difficult problem of maintaining sufficient interconnectedness."

The internal infrastructures of both brains and cities were shown to scale up as they increase in size -- for example, a human brain will have more infrastructure than a dog brain, and Chicago (227.1 sq. miles) has more infrastructure than Seattle (83.9 sq. miles).

Thanks to The Infrastructurist

FULL STORY: Ego City: Cities Are Organized Like Human Brains

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 in Science Daily

Infrastructure Urban Development World Cities Development Brains Organization View More

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