Urban planner Alain Bertaud discusses the impact of culture and regulations on shaping cities, using examples like donuts and urban sprawl. He advocates for a free market approach to urban planning and shares personal career stories. The podcast explores the dynamics of urban diversity, migrant integration, and the challenges of regulations in cities.
Urbanization drove millions out of poverty in countries like China and India, illustrating the crucial role of economic freedom in shaping urban success.
Stringent regulations for migrants in cities create barriers, leading to social exclusion and hindering urban inclusivity.
Deep dives
Economic Growth and Urbanization Impacting Poverty Reduction
Around 1990 to 2020, economic freedom led to billions emerging from poverty, especially in countries like China and India, primarily due to urbanization. This crucial fact is often overlooked by younger generations, highlighting the significant role urban growth played in lifting people out of poverty.
Defining a City: Diversity and People Interaction
Cities are viewed as places where unexpected encounters and diverse personalities shape the urban experience. The richness of cities lies in the interactions amongst various individuals, as seen in the movie 'Casablanca,' illustrating how the mix of characters and their interactions epitomizes urban essence.
Integrating Migrants in City Economies
The integration of migrants into city economies signifies a critical aspect of urban success. Cities differ in the time it takes for migrants to fully engage with city economies, ranging from two generations to mere years, showcasing the impact of regulations on accessibility and inclusion.
Regulations and Their Impact on Urban Inclusion
Stringent regulations dictating minimum land and space consumption for migrants entering cities create barriers and segregate populations, leading to social exclusion. The imposition of such rules, akin to placing minimum food regulations during famines, hinders urban inclusivity, affecting both newcomers and existing urban dwellers.
Alain Bertaud is an urbanist and a senior research scholar at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management. He is the author of a book about urban planning that is titled Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities. He has worked as an urban planner in a multitude of cities around the world.
Today, we talk about his view of a city and what he’s observed as an urban planner. He gives us examples and draws connections between how culture and regulation shape cities --- he means literally; cities shaped by regulation are shaped like donuts. We discuss the problems with central planning from old Soviet cities to today's urban sprawl caused by zoning regulation. He explains how being a "free market urban planner" is not a contradiction and shares personal stories about how he came to this career.