Comments on: Homo Urbanus http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/2009/06/06/homo-urbanus/ The source on how we live, work and play Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:56:51 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Michael Wells http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/2009/06/06/homo-urbanus/comment-page-1/#comment-12944 Michael Wells Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:43:35 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/?p=11777#comment-12944 This is great! It gives quantitative and statistical backup to the qualitative and narrative work Jacobs did so well. It also gives some underpinnings for Jacob's assertion, I think in The Economy of Cities, that cities predate agriculture. She was a giant and the research is finally catching up with her. "High population density leads to greater exchange of ideas and skills and prevents the loss of new innovations. It is this skill maintenance, combined with a greater probability of useful innovations, that led to modern human behaviour appearing at different times in different parts of the world." I think this quote links to Jacob's definition of a city, if I have it right, as a place that is economically self-sufficient -- as opposed to a town which depends on cities for some of its needs. This is great! It gives quantitative and statistical backup to the qualitative and narrative work Jacobs did so well. It also gives some underpinnings for Jacob’s assertion, I think in The Economy of Cities, that cities predate agriculture. She was a giant and the research is finally catching up with her.

“High population density leads to greater exchange of ideas and skills and prevents the loss of new innovations. It is this skill maintenance, combined with a greater probability of useful innovations, that led to modern human behaviour appearing at different times in different parts of the world.”

I think this quote links to Jacob’s definition of a city, if I have it right, as a place that is economically self-sufficient — as opposed to a town which depends on cities for some of its needs.

]]> By: » Urban density and social media tools Yule Heibel’s Post Studio © 2003-2009 http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/2009/06/06/homo-urbanus/comment-page-1/#comment-12939 » Urban density and social media tools Yule Heibel’s Post Studio © 2003-2009 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:40:28 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/?p=11777#comment-12939 [...] It won’t come as news to those of us who love and defend cities, but it’s nice to have scientific research backing up what we espouse as urban positives: High population density triggers cultural explosions, according to a new study by scientists at University College London. The study was published in the journal Science; see also UCL’s page here (h/t Richard Florida/Creative Class blog). [...] [...] It won’t come as news to those of us who love and defend cities, but it’s nice to have scientific research backing up what we espouse as urban positives: High population density triggers cultural explosions, according to a new study by scientists at University College London. The study was published in the journal Science; see also UCL’s page here (h/t Richard Florida/Creative Class blog). [...]

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