Devon Zuegel: Overmedicated Women, Place and Non-Place, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Moloch
Our curator this week is Devon Zuegel (@devonzuegel). Devon is the founder and president of the Esmeralda Institute, where she's working to build a new town in California centered around lifelong learning—a "Chautauqua of the West" that people can live in full-time. She's also a writer and software engineer. She blogs about cities, incentive design, and tools for thought at devonzuegal.com.
Please enjoy these words that have mattered to Devon.
Devon's Picks
Women are overmedicated because drug dosage trials are done on men
The majority of over-the-counter drugs have never been tested on women. Until 2014, most clinical trials were not required to include women in their research.
Know What You Are Selling
Restaurants famously have low margins, but Nick Kokonas transformed the cashflow and risk profile of his restaurants by rethinking what they were selling as performances rather than just food.
Place and Non-Place
This blog sparked my obsession with the question "Why does the world rarely build wonderful neighborhoods anymore?", a problem which I've since devoted my career to.
Growth Ponzi Scheme
Municipal accounting counts infrastructure as an asset, but it is actually a liability due to maintenance and replacement costs.
Meditations on Moloch
This post helped me see that when bad things happen, it doesn't necessarily mean that anyone wanted it to happen. Systemic structures can drive individuals to make choices that are collectively harmful, even when they are rational from an individual perspective.
Spotlight on Devon's Work
Her field notes display an eye for detail, a nose for interesting ideas, and good taste:
Miami, London, Bangalore, Jakarta, Singapore, The American South.