The Urban Explosion

Journeys to four mega-cities to investigate a major challenge of the 21st Century: how to shelter and sustain the world's exploding urban population without destroying the delicate balance of our environment. Locations include:

Mexico City : Communities struggle with toxic smog and a dwindling supply of drinking water, while nearby farmers must cope with the city's untreated waste.

Istanbul : At the crossroads of Asia and Europe, this ancient city's infrastructure is strained by more than half a million new residents each year.

Shanghai : In the midst of an economic boom, rapid urbanization has increased air and water pollution and caused a dramatic loss of farmland to industrial sprawl.

New York City : Though most of the city can boast clean air and water, for some, environmental inequality has resulted in serious health problems.

Topics covered: air pollution, water pollution, population pressures, waste disposal and the need for urban planning.

Learn more about this episode of Journey to Planet Earth and watch video exerpts on PBS.org/journeytoplanetearth.