Before long, more than 550 cities worldwide will have a population of more than one million people. By 2030, 80 percent of the world's population will live in cities. Whereas megacities have traditionally served as economic and political power centers, many of today’s fastest growing cities are in developing nations.

With such rapid and unplanned growth, many of these cities lack the planning and infrastructure to accommodate this population boom. New models of city planning are needed to prevent collapses under such dramatic social, economic, and environmental pressures. Cities on Speed shows how four metropolises are rising to this challenge. What are the visions for solving their deepest issues, and will they be successful?

Shanghai

Shanghai is a unusual city, bursting with four thousand skyscrapers, thousands of miles of highway, millions of citizens, and thousands of government planners. To make way for new skyscrapers, roads, and industries, vast communities are being expropriated. Can government influence help control Shanghai’s growing pains?

"Shanghai: Space is an interesting take on the challenge/threat/opportunity of urbanizing China."
‒Jack David Eller, American Anthropological Review Database