Spectacular Cities
Thinking Allowed
BBC
4.4 • 997 Ratings
🗓️ 13 March 2019
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Spectacular urbanisation: The world’s tallest building is in Dubai and the 2022 World Cup in soccer will be played in fabulous Qatar facilities. But what role do the sensational cities of the Arabian Peninsula play in urban development across the Earth? Laurie Taylor talks to Harvey Molotch, Professor of Sociology at New York University and to Davide Ponzini , Associate Professor of Urban Planning at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Also, Natalie Koch, Associate Professor of Geography at Syracuse University, asks why autocrats in resource rich nations build spectacular new capital cities.
Producer: Jayne Egerton
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.4 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:30.3 | BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts. |
| 0:36.6 | I'm Laurie Taylor and this is a Radio 4 podcast for thinking aloud. |
| 0:41.2 | Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is architecturally magnificent. |
| 0:47.0 | But how impressed are the people of Kazakhstan with such monumental spectacle? |
| 0:52.2 | Find out. |
| 0:58.0 | My train to Venice didn't leave for half an hour, |
| 1:01.0 | so I had time to wander around Milan station. |
| 1:04.6 | Time to marvel at the size of the place. |
| 1:06.7 | It's the largest train station in Europe when judged by volume. |
| 1:10.2 | Time to wander at the great steel canopies. Time to remember that this massive reconstruction of the old Milan station |
| 1:17.0 | was a self-conscious attempt by Mussolini to demonstrate the power of his |
| 1:21.7 | fascist regime. |
| 1:23.0 | But there was also enough time, |
| 1:31.0 | quite enough time to remember how D.H. Lawrence in one of his delightful travel books |
| 1:36.6 | had lampooned Mussolini's idea that the Italians needed such monumentality |
... |
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