Edward Glaeser: belief

Transcript context

…This is a podcast. If we want to talk about the most efficient, we can all agree on Singapore. Now, I don’t know how underrated it is, but the last place I saw you live is a particular favorite of mine, which is Edinburgh. I don’t know whether it’s underrated or not, but it’s certainly spectacular. I would say, actually, there are parts of Glasgow which are definitely underrated, but the physical bones of Glasgow are magnificent. I would say, more generally, there are lots of American Rust Belt cities where the physical bones are fantastic. Part of the South Side of Chicago — not exactly Rust Belt — but the buildings along the lake — a little bit too monumental, not necessarily built on a human scale, but stunningly beautiful in the way that they work with the water. Parts of Detroit — old buildings, meaning from before World War II, where it really works as space unbelievably well, even if the city is facing the woes that Detroit has faced for 70 years. Your father was an architectural historian. What did you learn from him about the economics of building that has fed into your work?…

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