Urban Scaling is hardwired in the human brain

TL;DR

This paper explores the universal patterns in urban scaling, linking human personality traits to city structure and dynamics, and revealing a fundamental biological basis for urban complexity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel connection between human personality traits and urban fractal patterns, advancing understanding of the biological underpinnings of city dynamics.

Findings

Cities exhibit universal power-law scaling behaviors.

Human personality traits influence urban fractal structures.

A causal relationship links allometry, fractal dimension, and social contacts.

Abstract

The emerging field of the Science of Cities has unveiled previously undiscovered facets of urban life. Contrary to the expectation of chaotic behaviour influenced solely by cultural and geographic factors, cities globally exhibit universal power-law trends in urban scaling. Leveraging recent advances in mathematical descriptions of urban dynamics, this study investigates the interplay among fundamental allometry, fractal dimension, and the number of close contacts within cities. Through a dynamic exploration of these factors, a causal relationship is established, shedding light on the intricate dynamics that shape urban environments. Remarkably, our analysis suggests that the Big Five personality traits play a pivotal role in determining the fractal aspects of urban life. This research contributes to the understanding of urban scaling and proposes a novel connection between human personality traits and the structural patterns observed in cities, opening avenues for further interdisciplinary exploration.