If you’ve followed Strong Towns for a while, you’ve likely heard us talk about Nassim Nicholas Taleb. We frequently refer to him as the Patron Saint of Strong Towns thinking, because—as we wrote last year—“his insights about risk, uncertainty, and fragility have profound implications for how we build our places.”
One of Taleb’s key concepts is antifragility. The opposite of fragility is not resilience (or robustness). Something that is resilient, when it encounters a shock or disruption, merely returns back to its original state. In contrast, something that is anti-fragile actually gains from the disruption. One example is our bones, which get stronger as we subject them to the many small impacts of walking or running.
For those with eyes to see and ears to hear, the coronavirus outbreak has a lot to teach us about just how fragile many of our social systems have become. This includes, but is certainly not limited to, our economy. A recent article in The Atlantic gets at one aspect of this. In “The Modern Supply Chain Is Snapping,” Lizzie O’Leary describes how the coronavirus is exposing “the fragility of an economy built on outsourcing and just-in-time inventory.” As she shows, we are reliant on China for many of our manufactured goods, including components for prescription drugs and medical supplies. When something disrupts that system—like the coronavirus outbreak—the effects ripple throughout the global economy and our public health efforts.
On today’s episode of Upzoned, host Abby Kinney, a planner at Gould Evans in Kansas City, talks about The Atlantic article with Strong Towns founder and president Chuck Marohn. Abby and Chuck discuss some of the choices from the last 70 years that have made the economy more brittle, the work ahead to pick up the pieces, and also the choice we have to make: Will we double down on failed, fragile-making systems, or will we rebuild in a way that makes us more antifragile?
Then on the Downzoned, Chuck recommends Peak Prosperity, a daily YouTube show from Chris Martenson offering commentary and analysis on the news. (Peak Prosperity has been warning about coronavirus for more than two months.) Both Chuck and Abby also discuss the steps they’ve taken to make time for contemplation and rest in the midst of the massive changes wrought by the pandemic.
Show Notes
Upzoned Live in Santa Ana
SoCal Is So Addicted to Cars. Should They Get Rid of Parking Minimums Anyway?
Can we make California wildfires less destructive by changing the way we build?
Live Episode: Minneapolis ended single-family-only zoning. Do the new guidelines go too far, not far enough, or are they just right (for now)?
The real reason why Bill Gates' and Jeff Bezos' posh suburb is going broke
Why is the "Miracle on 14th Street" Bus Rapid Transit Line Such a Miracle?
Spooky Wisdom: What Lessons Should We Be Learning from How Our Ancestors Built Cities?
Is There a Way to Build Prisons that Makes Our Town Stronger?
Our Cities' Housing Crises are Getting Worse. Is it Time to Offer a Cash Prize to Anyone Who Can Solve Them?
How America's Highway Funding System is Like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (and No, That's Not A Good Thing)
Prototyping the City
What the Left Gets Wrong About Public Transportation
How Do You Solve a Problem Like North St. Louis? Stop Erasing It, for One.
Meet the Pro Sports Stadium That Won't Make Your City Go Broke
What Burning Man Can Teach You About Making Your City Financially Stronger (Yes, Really)
Are Vision Zero Programs Working in Our Cities—and Would They if We Took Them National?
A Left-Wing Wrench and a Right-Wing Hammer
Is Strong Towns Anti-Smart City?
Should We Save The American Mall?
So a Hacker's Holding Your City's Data for Ransom....
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Advocacy Scoop Podcast
Social Dallas Podcast
Change Church Podcast
Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon
Nonprofits Are Messy: Lessons in Leadership | Fundraising | Board Development | Communications