Michael Mehaffy
Michael Mehaffy, Ph.D. is a development consultant, planner, designer, author, educator, researcher, and executive director of the International Making Cities Livable (IMCL) conference series as well as the Oregon-based Sustasis Foundation. He was the first Director of Education for The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment in London, and an advisor to the then-Prince of Wales. His education program developed there later evolved into Master’s and Ph.D. programs in sustainable urbanism at the University of Oxford.
Cities are like brains—immense networks of connective tissue
Intriguing lessons for urbanists are coming, surprisingly, from neuroscience. Understanding the underlying structure of cities can help us to formulate better urban policies and practices.
We need ‘Goldilocks,’ not ‘voodoo,’ urbanism
Cities generate benefits from concentrations of talent—but also from “spreading it around.” Striking a balance results in more equity and a more resilient economy.