EP 707 Cities Represent the Future For Countries Around the Globe

 

Forty countries around the world had a majority of their populations living in cities in 1960, whereas today that figure is more than one hundred.  And that trajectory is projected to continue in dramatic fashion throughout the century, in both developed and developing nations. For the first time in human history half of humanity lives in cities. Will those cities continue to be the epicenters of our greatest achievements or will they be riven with strife, division and growing inequality?  The answer lies in our ability to remake much about cities to avoid the worst impacts of many people in relatively dense centers, including pandemics and the effects of climate change.  Our guest, visionary Oxford professor, Ian Goldin, and his co-author, Tom Lee-Devlin of the prestigious Economist Magazine, having written “Age of the City: Why Our Future Will Be Won or Lost Together” are betting on the resilience and creativity of the urban environment, historically and in the present, to win the day.  Let’s hope they’re right.

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