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Alain Bertaud on urban planning and what makes cities work. Cities are labor markets, not designed artifacts. The best urban environments emerge from letting markets work while providing infrastructure — not from master planning.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
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Bertaud: the physical design of a city (density, transit, zoning) determines who can access economic opportunity. Bad urban environments lock people into poverty; good ones create mobility.
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Bertaud: master planning cities (trying to control the outcome) always fails. Good urban policy provides infrastructure (the controllable) and lets the city self-organize (the uncontrollable).
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