Cities on Speed Series (Shanghai, Cairo, Mumbai, Bogota)

Synopsis

Soon more than 550 cities worldwide will have a population of more than one million. In 2030 eighty percent of the world’s population will live in cities. Megacities have traditionally been economic and political power centers but today the fastest growing cities are in developing nations.

The new challenge is that cities are growing helter skelter rather than planned. There is an acute need for new models of city planning to prevent collapses under such huge social, economic and environmental pressure. If cities are to remain liveable, the problems of population increase must be understood and dealt with. CITIES ON SPEED shows how four different megacities are dealing with this challenge. What are the visions and the solutions and how do they affect the inhabitants? The programme on Bogotá concentrates on improving civic behaviour; Cairo - rubbish; Mumbai - traffic; Shanghai - space.

Language

English

Country

Denmark

Year of release

2011

Subjects

Geography

Keywords

cities; social geography; urban communities; urban development; Bogotá

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Price

$995.00 (series) $295.00 (each)

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

4 x 60 minutes

Year

2011

Sections

Title

Bogotá: Improving Civic Behavior

Synopsis

In the early 90s, Bogotá was a city with big problems: social inequality, pollution, out-of-control population growth, and poor public transportation. Kidnappings were common and the city had the world’s highest homicide rates. But unlike other poor megacities, Bogotá found a solution: in 1993, Antanas Mockus, a university president, became mayor and turned the city into one big social experiment. Under his leadership, community watch groups were formed, homicides fell 70%, traffic fatalities dropped by over 50%, and many citizens voluntarily paid an extra 10% tax!

Duration

60 mins

Title

Cairo: Garbage

Synopsis

Previously only 12 million people lived in Cairo and the city was neat and tidy. Today Cairo has a population estimated at 20 million with six giant Garbage Villages that have evolved into towns within the city. Nobody can keep up with the speed at which the city is growing and their rubbish piles up in the streets.

Duration

60 mins

Title

Mumbai: Traffic

Synopsis

Urban planning can be tough in the world’s largest democracy! Mumbai is growing at an amazing pace and a collapsing infrastructure could put an end to economic growth. Public trains are filled to the bursting point, traffic is nearing complete gridlock. An eight lane highway is being built out in the sea to try to compensate for the threatening collapse.

Duration

60 mins

Title

Shanghai: Space

Synopsis

Shanghai is not just a city - it’s an explosion of 4,000 skyscrapers, thousands of miles of highway, millions of citizens and thousands of government planners. Vast communities need to be expropriated to make way for new skyscrapers, roads and industries. The government tries to control it, the citizens try to use it, but Shanghai is beyond control.

Duration

60 mins

Production Company

Name

Danish Radio

Distributor

Name

Filmakers Library

Email

info@filmakers.com

Web

http://www.filmakers.com/ External site opens in new window

Phone

+1 212 808 4980

Fax

+1 212 808 4983

Address

124 East 40th Street
New York
NY 10016
USA

Notes

A well-established distributor of issue-oriented documentaries on social science and arts-related topics, made by American independents as well as filmmakers from all over the world. Sale on video or DVD.