The nature of economies
by Jane Jacobs · first published 2000
5mentions
3recommended by
4HN commenters
2009–2026first – last mentioned
75% recommend25% critical
"Nearly forty years after The Death and Life of Great American Cities changed the field of urban studies, Jane Jacobs brings us a modern classic on economies and ecology. This new book looks at the connection between the economy and nature, arguing that the principles of development, common to both systems, are the proper subject of economic study.". "The Nature of Economics is written in the form of a Platonic dialogue, a conversation over coffee among five contemporary New Yorkers. The question they discuss is: Does economic life obey the same rules as those governing the systems in nature?
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…fact that the city lacks an internal engine for wealth generation, and is thus fundamentally unsustainable. (My foundation for thinking about urban economics, BTW is Jane Jacobs -- highly recommend "The Nature of Economies" for a quick primer on her philosophy.) Arcosanti was developed in the absence of a robust economic theory -- in fact I'd say there was a general distain / distrust of economics, as was often found amongst…
on “Arcosanti, Paolo Soleri’s Arizona experiment in urban planning” ↗18 years ago Jane Jacobs published The Nature of Economies, which explicitly applies principles of biomimicry to economic philosophy. It's absolutely brilliant and has been the cornerstone of my economic thinking ever since. Also, it's been a somewhat sardonic…
on “To help model financial systems, some economists are turning to biology” ↗The Nature of Economies by Jane Jacobs People complain about how it's written, but it's nevertheless an interesting exploration of the parallels between natural ecosystems and human economies. As someone with no particular…
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗Jane Jacobs: The Nature of Economies.
on “Cities obey the laws of living things” ↗>Socratic dialogue requires you to write dialogue, which only some people have the ear for. A great negative case study for this is Jane Jacobs' second-last book, The Nature of Economies, which was written as a socratic dialogue among, regrettably, a bunch of insufferable hip urban New Yorkers. The ideas she expresses are first-rate (as usual), but the presentation borders on the unreadable.
on “The List of N Things” ↗