Episode · Freakonomics Radio · 2016-07-07
Books mentioned on 252. Confessions of a Pothole Politician
Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, has big ambitions but knows he must first master the small stuff. He's also a polymath who relies heavily on data and new technologies.
Eric Garcetti recommended The Walkable City by Jennie Middleton, and discussed Whatever Happened to the Metric System? by John Bemelmans Marciano and Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Whatever Happened to the Metric System?
Discussed“I'm in the middle of almost about to finish Whatever Happened to the Metric System, which is written by my dear friend John Marciano. Great book.”
Where to get it
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The Walkable City
Walkable City is a book that examines urban design principles aimed at making metropolitan areas more pedestrian-friendly and human-centric.
Recommended“Another book that I have been reading is called Walkable City. It's a great, great book that kind of looks at how we can turn places even like Los Angeles and not just think about the view from the car, but how we can look at the view from the sidewalks”
Where to get it
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Labyrinths
Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges is a celebrated collection of fantastical and philosophical short stories that explore infinity, identity, labyrinths, and the nature of reality.
Discussed“And I've been rereading Jorge Luis Borges' Labarintos, or Labyrinths. He's my favorite author. And the moment that we ever think we have the world organized, I just read about one of my favorite short stories”
Where to get it
