Ants Quote by Alan Weisman
“The fact that the infrastructure is falling apart is not necessarily because it's built poorly. The New York City subways were built in 1903. The fact that they're still running at all is an enormous success. The fact that New York City's bridges have held up as long as they have is extraordinary, and the engineers didn't have computers to tell them about tolerance. They overbuilt these things - traffic on them is like an ant on an elephant.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on Urban Infrastructure, 2015
Old infrastructure endures because it was overbuilt with generous safety margins, not because of modern design tools.
In simple terms: Old structures survive due to excess capacity.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the value of redundancy.
Themes
engineering
resilience
history
urban planning
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
educational
informative
When to use this quote
- city planning
- maintenance budgeting
- infrastructure assessment
Key Concepts
safety margins
overdesign
legacy systems
Questions to Reflect On
- How can modern design balance safety with efficiency?
- What lessons can we apply to new projects?
A Different Perspective
Overbuilding can waste resources and increase costs.
