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How megacities are changing the map of the world | Parag Khanna

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How do big cities affect the environment? 

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How do big cities affect the environment? 

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The UN estimates that 55% of the global population lives in urban areas - a figure that is projected to rise to 68% by 2050. With few exceptions, cities are expected to become bigger and more numerous.

As urbanization speeds up, particularly in Asian and African countries, here are five of the biggest challenges confronting the future of cities:

Rapid urbanization, which strains basic infrastructure, coupled with more frequent and extreme weather events linked to global climate change is exacerbating the impact of environmental threats. Common environmental threats include flooding, tropical cyclones (to which coastal cities are particularly vulnerable), heat waves and epidemics.

Owing to the physical and population density of cities, such threats often result in both devastating financial loss and deaths. Making cities more resilient against these environmental threats is one of the biggest challenges faced by city authorities and requires urgent attention.

Cities need resources such as water, food and energy to be viable. Urban sprawl reduces available water catchment areas, agricultural lands and increases demand for energy. While better application of technology can boost agricultural productivity and ensure more efficient transmission of electricity, many cities will continue to struggle to provide these resources to an ever-growing urban population.

Beyond these basic requirements, haphazard growth will see the reduction of green spaces within cities, negatively affecting liveability. As fresh water becomes scarce and fertile lands diminish, food prices may escalate, hitting the poorest hardest.

When it comes to both the provision of basic resources and resilience against environmental threats, the forecast is uneven for different groups of urban inhabitants. As the number of urban super-rich grows, many cities will also see increased numbers of urban poor.

The widening gap between the haves and have-nots will be accentuated in the megacities of the future. Such inequalities, when left unchecked, will destabilize society and upend any benefits of urban development. There is a critical need for policy-makers to ensure that the fruits of progress are shared equitably.

Technology will be increasingly used in the development and running of cities of the future. Smart planning used in Singapore can harness solar energy for use in housing estates and create man-made wetlands for ecological balance. Smart mobility technology can alleviate traffic gridlocks which plague many cities.

The use of environmental technologies which can cool buildings more efficiently or run vehicles that are less polluting will also lead to better future cities. Installing sensors in the homes of ageing seniors living alone can connect them to the community and summon help when they are unwell or hurt.

However, technology can exclude urban inhabitants who cannot afford it or lack the capability required for its adoption. As future cities become more digitized, care must be exercised to prevent the emergence of a new form of social divide rooted in the technological.

Future cities offer immense possibilities to enrich the lives of their inhabitants even as the challenges are stark. To make the best out of inevitable urbanization, good governance is imperative. Cities will increase in size and their populations become more diverse. Governing these cities will, therefore, be progressively complex and require the most dedicated of minds.

Seoul, capital of South Korea Image: Harvey Neo

Increasingly, cities around the world are learning about the best governance and planning practices from one another, even as they remain accountable to their respective national governments. The broad goals of urban governance should address issues of equity, liveability and sustainability in cities of the future.

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5 big challenges facing big cities of the future

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From environmental threats to governing more diverse populations, urban areas have big decisions to make.

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WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE BIG CITIES? AND WHY?

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WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE BIG CITIES? AND WHY?

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My favourite big City is Bergen in Norway.
It isn’t a very popular City but the people are so friendly and the mountains around Bergen for example the Fløyen, are worth visiting. Most little houses are beautiful, and the bay as well. Next to the bay are the Tyske Brygge. These are former trading offices of the Hanseatic League in Norway. The best time is in the evening when the light from the evening sun reflects on the water and you sit at the bay.
Lena-Marie Münch

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People who routinely visit or work in a big city know that they can be a hassle.  Major cities have more people, traffic, and neighborhoods that can make navigating through the city more difficult.
Sarah Oharek

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It’s Monday. Because of the coronavirus outbreak, officials are urging a reduction in gatherings. As such, we are temporarily suspending our event listings.
New York City’s public schools will begin shutting down this week, Governor Cuomo announced yesterday afternoon, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Hours later, Mayor de Blasio announced that he would soon order all bars and restaurants to close, limiting them to takeout and delivery.

Sammy Bayer

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I think it is great to live in a big city because of the public transport.  You do not need a car in a city.  Although I would  enjoy the night life. There is always something to do (either bars, pubs or clubs). You also have a lot of job opportunities in a city.

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I think it is great to live in a big city because of the public transport.  You do not need a car in a city.  Although I would  enjoy the night life. There is always something to do (either bars, pubs or clubs). You also have a lot of job opportunities in a city.

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Louis Jourdan

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Big cities are always crowded. People are always in a rush and live by themselves. Living in a city is very expensive. The environment is not as good as in a village.
Louis Jourdan

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I agree Louis. It’s great to live in a big city because of the night life, the many job offers and the public transport. It’s right you don’t need a car in the city. But there is a lot of traffic in the big cities. When you take the bus or the subway you often have to squeeze you in and out, especially during the rush hour.

Lena Hein

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In this game, you will be playing as an urban dude struggling to make a decent life in the big city. Big City Life PC simulates almost everything. From starting a career and moving up to the higher positions, everything is ready for you. Now, do you want to become a pizza delivery boy? Then you should first work on your motorcycle license! Yep, you read that right. Even license tests are simulated in this game! So, if you badly want to roam the streets in style, you have to shed out some bucks and get a license.

Sammy Bayer

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My favourite Big City is Seattle.
Seattle ist the mitgest City in Washongton. Next to the city are water, hills and forests. The view there is really amazing. It offers thousands hector of parcs. At Seattle stays the Headquater from Microsoft and Amazon. The symbol of the city is the futuristic Space Neadle, it's a holdover of the world exibition in 1962. Seattle is also known for his famous football team, the Seattle Seahawks. I'm a big fan of this team.
Colin Frey

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I don't think living in a big city is that bad. It is easy to get from A to B through the many public transport systems. You also have a lot more choice when shopping and there are more job offers.

Katrin Schneider

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My favourite Big City is Los Angeles because it's a very popular city and there are so much sights you can visit there. Los Angeles is a popular city because of the walk of fame and mainly Hollywood. There are so many beaches where you can relax or can do some sports like swimming, surfing or playing volleyball. An other attraction is the Universal Studios where you can go and have fun and you can do a tourist drive. At the tourist drive you can see some movie locations of famous movies like Fast and Furious.

Sarah Oharek

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My favourite big City is Berlin. Because I was born there and I just love it there. There is a lot to see and you also learn a lot about the stories where east and west were separated. It is also very nice to just walk along the Berlin wall and see every picture and the story behind it. Of course, as in almost every city, there are parts that are not so nice and that is the train station or the city center, for example. Berlin is known for the Berlin Wall, the TV tower, Alexanderplatz and much more. Day and night it is really nice to take the ferry across the Spree and see everything. The Berlin gate is also so beautiful day and night, either it shines because of the sun and beautiful pictures are created or it is illuminated in the evening. Personally, Berlin would not be a place for me where I could live forever, but for a few years at a time I could really imagine it.

Marie Höfer

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The largest city in the world is Tokyo with 38 million inhabitants. Tokyo is known for it‘s many flickering neon lights, which have always characterized the character of the city. Nowhere else in the world are there so many neon signs as in the Japanese capital. Tokyo is the most populated metropolis in the world.There is a legendary mountain called Mt Fuji that you only see on a few days a year, the chance is 25 percent and the mountain is a symbol of happiness for the residents. In 2012 the second tallest free-standing building in the world was chosen the Tokyo Skytree. With a height of 350 meters. Up there is a viewing platform with glass floor, from there you should be able to enjoy a fantastic view over the whole of Tokyo. In Tokyo there is a lot more exciting stuff and things you can see, you can learn a lot about the culture, the different sports and so on. In this text I have now mentioned a few interesting things that I personally found interesting. I think Tokyo is really nice and I would also like to go there on the viewing platform and learn more about the tradition.

Marie Höfer

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My favorite big city is Dubai. Because Dubai is known for his luxury shops and ultra-modern architecture. It is a very popular, clean and modern city with many incredible places and sights like the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, the only and most expensive seven star hotel and the two palm islands. This city is just great and beautiful at the same time.
Isabell Melnik

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Living in a big city is not bad, because you have many options, when it comes to public transport. It's easier to find a job and to make your dreams come true.
Isabell Melnik

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In a big city it never gets boring because of the sights and many activitis that you can do. And also you don´t need a car to move from one spot to another. You can also go shopping and learn something about the coulture.

Sarah Schöpf

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On the other hand your not alone, but it could feel like it because people are always busy and in hurry and if you have a car you´d definitly come in traffic jam. It also can be dangerous and at night and I think the streets are probably dirty.

Sarah Schöpf

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My Favorit big City is Moscow. It is the capital of Russia. There are many parks and sight in Russia. The subway station are known as palaces. My favorit place was the Kremel and the Basilius cathedral. The best food in Russia is Pelmeni and the  plombir ice cream. :D
Kay Föll

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There are many people and tourists in a city. The air is not so good because there are a lot of cars and traffic jams in the city. If you live there it also very load.
Kay Föll

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My favourite City is Barcelona.Life in Barcelona is great,People are very kind and helpful.There you can see a lot of nice things like the Stadium of Barcelona,a lot of beautiful beaches,islands,mountains,museums...The most beautiful is Nightlife,because every day there are beachparties,concerts and competitions,there is just always Action.To fall in love with Barcelona,you meet its People,its Culture and than you would get a good Vibe of Barcelona.

Marija Stojic

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Life in big cities is not bad. The chances of finding a job and starting a good career are much greater. It is never boring there, because everything is close,you don't need a Car and you have many opportunities to do activities and shopping.

Marija Stojic

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Most cities are dirty and often very noisy. Besides car accidents often happen in large cities. Most of the time the people there are very nice but are often very busy and have no time when you need help.

Katrin Schneider

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I think life in a big city is not bad. There are many things you can do there, you can see a lot and learn a lot about different cultures. Many people get to know each other and learn a lot about many different nationalities. There is a lot of action and you can go anywhere by train, bus and so on. It's never far into town or anything.

Marie Höfer

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Of course, life there is not always nice, the apartments are expensive and you have to work hard for it. The air and the city in general may not be the cleanest and not exactly calm. So my opinion is very divided.

Marie Höfer

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In Big Citys the most people live on a tight budget. Offten the flats are quiet expensive and sometumes very small. The noise in a big city is very high. So you can never sleep with an open window. The streets are everytime full of trash. The puplic transport is always crowded and on the streets you wait in many traffic jams.
Colin Frey

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My Favorite Big City
My favorite big city is London because I think it is completely different than in other countries. I was last on a cruise ship and a port was Southampton when I was in London I was totally thrilled I don’t know why. It was such a beautiful city but my highlight was the Buckingham palace which I was also allowed to see from inside
There were so many beautiful buildings that were named after her appearance.
These names were also very funny
You can also go shopping there and eat well
Franziska Werner

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I think life in big cities really has its advantages you always go everywhere because public transport is very good. You don't need half an hour to get into the city
Franziska Werner

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My favorite city is New York.

I never was there but I think there it is very different and interesting. It’s the opposite to how I live now.

I think you can do a lot of different things and do always something new. This city never sleeps. You can meet a lot of different cultures and you can have a lot of exceptional friends. In this city you have no limits.

Lena Hein

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My favourite city is Athen in Greece. The city is popular for the Akropolis. An old Greek temple. The Akropolis is damaged a lot but it still looks beutiful. In the city are many many people and restaurants of course cafes and bars too. The people are realy nice when you speek greece to them. But some of them who work there are so bad in english. And of cours many shops for the tourist with little statues of Akropolis or greece gods or other useless shit. The most people are very nice and helpful. Bads in the city are of course the traffic because you always stand and the streets are very small.

Luca Tselios

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You can get everything

Luca Tselios

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To much people

Luca Tselios

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I think that some of the advantages of living in a city is that everything is in close proximity to you. You can get to most places (e.g. shops, your workplace, parks) within minutes. Public transport is also very good, so you dont really need a car, which is good for the environment.

Sebastian Stein

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Some of the disadvantages of living in big cities is the price of an apartment, rent is usally very high. Cities also often dont have much nature, only some parks. Because there are so many people, there is a sense of anonimity, in a village/smaller town people often know each other.

Sebastian Stein

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My favourite city is London.  I am a big fan of architecture and London beautifully combines old and new buildings. Some of the old(er) buildings include the Buckingham Palace, home of the reigning monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The Westminster Palace, is also a  historic building, its the building in which the parliament of the UK is, and the St. Pauls Cathedral. London is also known for it's many bridges, like the Millenium Bridge, the Tower Bridge and the London Bridge. Most people confuse the London Bridge with the Tower Bridge. The Tower Bridge is the famous bridge, with the towers. The London bridge is just a flat bridge."The Shard" is one of London's skyscrapers and one of it's largest buildings and very modern. There are also many great attractions, for example the London Eye from which you can see most of the city. The river Thames flows through the city and you can go on boat tours. The Tube connects the city in the underground. Of London's 8.8 million inhabitants about 6 million take the tube every day. It's one of europes biggest and most sophisticated metro networks. The tube connects Londons outer boroughs with its financial districts. London is very important when it comes to finances.

Sebastian Stein

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My favorite city is paris. I love the city with his beautiful sights. The inhabitants of Paris are very friendly and helpful and the architecture and the streets of Paris are impressive too. Two years ago I visited Paris with my family. My favorite sight was of course the Eifel tower. When I was on the viewing platform, I watched many couples and one marriage proposal. And now I know why the city is called “the city of love” I also really liked the Louvre which is the largest museum in the world. One of the most famous pictures there is “the Mona Lisa” from Leonardo da Vinci. I love shopping. And that’s why Paris is my favorite city, because of the champs-Élysée. It’s a really long avenue with 1,9 kilometers. The best view of Paris will you get on the top of the Tour Montparnasse. It’s a 210 meters high and has got 59 floors. Paris was the most beautiful city I’ve ever visited.

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My favorite city is paris. I love the city with his beautiful sights. The inhabitants of Paris are very friendly and helpful and the architecture and the streets of Paris are impressive too. Two years ago I visited Paris with my family. My favorite sight was of course the Eifel tower. When I was on the viewing platform, I watched many couples and one marriage proposal. And now I know why the city is called “the city of love” I also really liked the Louvre which is the largest museum in the world. One of the most famous pictures there is “the Mona Lisa” from Leonardo da Vinci. I love shopping. And that’s why Paris is my favorite city, because of the champs-Élysée. It’s a really long avenue with 1,9 kilometers. The best view of Paris will you get on the top of the Tour Montparnasse. It’s a 210 meters high and has got 59 floors. Paris was the most beautiful city I’ve ever visited.

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Madeleine Heckmann

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Life in big city’s is not bad. But I think you can say it as a general rule. It depends on the person, their attitude to life, their wishes and dreams. You can’t say positiv or negativ things everyone have a other way of thinking.
Lena-Marie

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My favorite big City is Hollywood. It‘s a district in Los Angeles, California. There live over 153.700 people. There you can do many activities like sightseeing. You can visit the Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame or maybe the Guinness World Museum, wich is very popular.  Many Popstars have already visited Hollywood too and many got a star on the Walk of Fame. Except from that city there are also very much attractions around Hollywood in the nature. You can visit many nature reserves like the Lake Balboa Park to see the beautiful nature and many animals.
Franziska Fischenich

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I think it‘s very cool to live in a big city. There are many activities to do and there live also many people so you have the chance to make new friends. In a big city are many schools for you or your kids and in a big city it’s easy to find a job. I would enjoy living in a big city.
Franziska Fischenich

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Pros are it‘s easier to go shopping and you can see the sights whenever you want. You can find easier a job and start a career. You can learn about different cultures and you are never alone because you can meet many people.
Pauline Drapa

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You have to work harder for your money and you live in small and expensive apartments. And when many people live in one place they produce more rubbish. A lot of illegal business is done and a lot of drugs getting sold.
Pauline Drapa