The Digital Press

A recent study reveals that cities worldwide follow biological scaling laws similar to animals, challenging the notion that bigger cities are always more sustainable. By analyzing urban data through a new method, researchers found universal patterns linking population size to infrastructure, economic activity, and emissions.

Why it matters: Understanding cities as living organisms could transform sustainable urban planning and resource management globally.

The big picture: Cities self-organize and optimize energy flow naturally, independent of geography or politics, much like metabolic processes in animals.

Stunning stat: The study shows CO2 emissions scale with population size at a rate of 1.12 on a log-log scale across 100 cities.

Commenters say: Readers appreciate the biological analogy and question the "bigger is better" assumption, highlighting risks of stagnation and vulnerability in large urban centers.