Ultimately, urban systems reward designs that scale like patterns within patterns. From fractal geometry’s self-similarity (Mandelbrot, The Fractal Geometry of Nature, 1982) to city scaling laws showing superlinear returns with connectivity (Bettencourt and West, PNAS, 2007), the lesson is consistent: build capable small units and link them densely. In practice, that means piloting in a manageable radius, measuring outcomes, iterating quickly, and then connecting pilots so they learn from one another. When each circle is made legible and permeable—easy to join, easy to share—cities do not merely grow larger; they grow smarter, just as Soseki’s widening rings imply. [...]
