By 2030, two out of three people will live in an urban world, with most of the explosive growth occurring in developing countries. For a preview of the future, the last in the Challenges for Humanity series explores São Paulo, Brazil; Lagos, Nigeria; Bangkok, Thailand; and Hyderabad, India. There once was a time when big cities thrilled and amazed people. "It is the metropolis of the universe, the garden of the world," Ibn Khaldun, the Arab historian, wrote of Cairo in 1382. English traveler Thomas Coryat described Renaissance Venice as a "beautiful queene." French artist Marcel Duchamp, in 1915, called New York City "a complete work of art." Since their appearance about 3000 B.C., cities have always been the natural center of everything that mattered: the temple, the court, the market, the university. And for anyone with a particle of ambition, there is little choice. Shakespeare left Stratford to go to London, after all; not the reverse.
Of course, your own city may not immediately inspire words like "peerless" or "paradise." Even though cities have been the fountains of civilization, many thinkers, from Rousseau to Jefferson to Thoreau, have regarded cities as the source of corruption and evil. The universal myths of earliest Edens are always set in the country; the city is what happens after sin sets in.
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Megacities - Mexico. Video hosted on Youtube. London
How do the world's major cities keep functioning? While planes usually require a two-minute gap between departures, at Heathrow, the world's busiest airspace, this margin has been reduced to 45 seconds. Watch how air traffic controllers manage this unique and highly regimented flight pattern. Also see how traffic on the streets and on the Thames is regulated.
New York
In a city where 75 percent of the people don't have a car, the New York subway offers the best transit system in America. Follow the emergency management response team as they plot rescues, escapes and re-routing on the system, in order to ensure the safety of both the riders and workers of the subway. The threats range from breakdowns to flooding to terrorism.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated urban regions on the planet. In the recent past it has been rocked by economic and financial upheaval. It now has the most high-tech, counterfeit-proof currency in the world, as well as some of the most complex bank building structures. An immense technological feat.
Paris
Constructed in the nineteenth century, the sewers of Paris extend 2300 kilometres - the distance from Paris to Istanbul. Follow Phillipe Bussignies and his team as they lay out thousands of miles of fibre-optic cables through the sewer tunnels using a Cable Laying Robot. Paris plans to become the world's first fully-connected wireless city.
Mumbai
Public transportation is Mumbai's lifeline. The trains were built for 1700 passengers, but in this mega city, they carry three times that number. And the crowding will only get worse. Look at Mumbai's large scale lunch delivery known as the dabbahwallah system, which is recognised as one of the best managed supply chains in the world. Forbes magazine awarded the system its highest rating.
Mexico City
To Mother Nature, Mexico City is one big target. On one side: one of the world's most earthquake-prone hotspots. On the other: one of the world's most active volcanoes. And beneath their feet - a shaky foundation of landfill. From subways to freeways, this episode examines how Mexico City is harnessing cutting-edge technology to build in safety.
Sao Paulo
More than 10 million people live in Sao Paulo and every day, they generate 14,000 tons of garbage. But Sao Paulo is undergoing a green revolution. Follow one aluminum can from the time it is picked up by one of the catadores (trash-pickers, who make their living from collecting recyclables) through pressing, melting, and re-melting, to the moment it is ready to become a new can.
Las Vegas
What keeps this gambling city aglitter? The Las Vegas power grid is a network of six power plants fuelled by nearly every source of energy: hydro-electric, coal and natural gas. From Harley-riding linemen to the no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is Mayor Oscar Goodman... and from livewire helicopter workers to a quirky couple living 'off-the-grid', see how Las Vegas maintains its sparkle.
(From: National Geographic)
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