Scaling Theory #2 – Geoffrey West: The Scaling Laws Behind Living Organisms, Cities, Businesses, and Technologies
Mar 25, 2024
Physicist Geoffrey West discusses scaling laws in living organisms, cities, businesses, and technologies. Topics include power laws in mammal heartbeats, patents and crime in cities, technology scaling, and innovation. The conversation also dives into super-linearity in cities and companies, historical impacts on tech giants, and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to understand scaling dynamics.
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Sublinear Scaling in Nature and Infrastructure
- Scaling laws reveal that doubling a system's size doesn't require double the resources.
- This sublinear scaling applies to organisms and infrastructure, suggesting inherent efficiencies.
Superlinear Scaling in Cities
- Socioeconomic activity in cities exhibits superlinear scaling: doubling city size increases activity by ~115%.
- This applies to both positive aspects (wages, innovation) and negative ones (crime, disease).
Universality of City Scaling Laws
- City scaling laws apply globally, regardless of location.
- Variance is higher than in biology due to shorter city lifespans.