This clip looks at two case studies that feature local infrastructure projects aimed at improving aspects of livability for the community. The first is an international example—Copenhagen’s cycling highways—and the second focuses on design features of Australian skate parks. Featuring interviews with the designers and users of these projects, this resource will help students apply geographical concepts to real-life situations.

Mumbai, the world’s most densely populated city, has been a thriving commercial hub for millennia. Its population has increased massively over the past 50 years, and although it has slowed, growth continues today, placing the city’s infrastructure under enormous pressure. This program explores some of Mumbai’s history and presents a range of information regarding its geography, economy, labor market, and standard of living in the 21st century....

Anita Rani, Ade Adepitan, Ant Anstead and Dan Snow are in New York. From their base at Grand Central Terminal, they reveal the behind-the-scenes operations responsible for keeping the world's biggest railway terminal running on schedule. In this opening episode, Anita, Ade and Ant try commuting New York style, joining 5.5 million commuters on the iconic Staten Island ferry, the subway and citibikes—the latest addition to the transport network. Ant...

Los Angeles will soon be America's most populous city. This program traces its history and cultural roots, showing the elements that comprise both the myth and the reality of the "City of Angels."

This program looks on urban landscapes as a series of layers of architectural evidence, each of which is the key to another chapter in the history of the area, and another chapter in the way people's lifestyles have been changed by technology. The program examines how industrialization led to urbanization, which led to higher rents, overcrowding, and problems of sanitation, which in turn led to governmental controls; it also shows how railways and...

For 25 years it was the tallest building in the world, and it still holds that title in the United States. However, when the $175-million Sears Tower was completed in 1973, it broke boundaries not only in height but in design and construction methods as well. This program examines architect Bruce Graham's innovations and their intended results-including better light, better ventilation, and better conditions for workers. Viewers are introduced to...

Any serious study of the modern skyscraper must acknowledge its precursor-the Gothic cathedral. This program examines the design, construction, and history of Cologne Cathedral-which, for a grand total of four years, was the tallest building in the world. Dr. Barbara Schock-Werner, the cathedral's resident chief architect, describes political and cultural conditions during Cologne's initial building years and guides viewers through the evolution of...

The traditional skyscraper is an environmentally unsound, energy-guzzling monster. But in 1997, celebrated British architect Norman Foster created a contradiction in terms: the world's first ecologically sensitive skyscraper. As a result, the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt changed the construction of giant corporate buildings forever. This episode features a walking tour of the building and an extended conversation with its chief architect, Stefan...

No setting is more important in the history of office tower design than the famous skyline of Manhattan. After the 9/11 attacks scarred the cityscape, architects began to rethink the priorities involved in dramatically vertical building design. This episode profiles 7 World Trade Center, the first building to be constructed on Ground Zero. Viewers will encounter the structure's surprising shape-a result of changes in its downtown environment-and discover...

Once a trendy haven for beach bums, Surfers Paradise is fast becoming the Miami of the southern hemisphere, thanks to developers aiming to make it a resort for the rich and famous. Surfers' skyline is changing too, with the massive Q1 Tower now dominating the landscape. This program looks at the imposing structure from more than one angle, studying its extraordinary design elements while asking: how has its pristine environment been affected? Viewers...