Life is extraordinarily resilient. It's been around for over a billion years. Geoffrey West billionextraordinarilylife Change image and share on social
Cities are the crucible of civilization. Geoffrey West citycivilizationcrucible Change image and share on social
A human being at rest runs on 90 watts. That's how much power you need just to lie down. And if you're a hunter-gatherer and you live in the Amazon, you'll need about 250 watts. That's how much energy it takes to run about and find food. Geoffrey West amazonenergyfind share on social
Your cells are not working as hard as your dog's but harder than your horse's. The bigger the animal, the less energy needed to sustain a gram of tissue. Geoffrey West animalbigcell Change image and share on social
One of the remarkable things about slums is that they do develop their own social organization and economy and even culture that is, on some level, functional and in some cases, remarkably resilient. This is kind of amazing. Geoffrey West amazecaseculture share on social
When I first saw California, it was extraordinary. Because I came from old, black, dark England, still recovering from World War II. I grew up with bomb sites everywhere. Geoffrey West blackbombcalifornia Change image and share on social
Slums could be thought of as the development of a special organ, or they could be thought of as a tumor that's grown, and in some ways is unhealthy and could ultimately lead to the city's destruction. My own feeling is that slums are probably a bit of both. Geoffrey West bitecitydestruction share on social
If you ask people why they move to the city, they always give the same reasons. They've come to get a job or follow their friends or to be at the center of a scene. That's why we pay the high rent. Cities are all about the people, not the infrastructure. Geoffrey West centercityfollow share on social
We form cities in order to enhance interaction, to facilitate growth, wealth creation, ideas, innovation, but in so doing, we create, from a physicist's viewpoint, entropy. Geoffrey West citycreatecreation Change image and share on social
