Mike Davis, author, MacArthur fellow, and professor emeritus at U.C. Riverside, shares his alternative civic history of Southern California in which the rush to build edge cities, freeways, and subdivisions paved the way for what he sees as nature’s revenge. Davis’ literary tour de force against Los Angeles exceptionalism — 1990’s “City of Quartz” and 1998’s “Ecology of Fear” — remain as relevant as ever and inform his discussion in this week’s conversation.