The City of 5 Million
Worldwide, the number of cities with a population of over five million is steadily increasing. What is life like for the inhabitants of these megacities? How do people cater for their daily needs? Such cities are almost impossible for the state and official authorities to govern. To compensate for this, forms of self-organisation arise to enable life to continue in such tightly packed communities. Taking Delhi, Dhaka and the Pearl River Delta as examples, Frauke Kraas takes a first-hand look at living conditions in megacities.
Life in a Slum: Korail
With a population of about 13 million, Dhaka is one of the largest urban areas in the world. The city’s infrastructure has long been unable to keep pace with the breakneck speed of population growth. Between 30 and 40 percent of the population in Dhaka live in slums such as Korail, one of the largest slums in this megacity. Together with Kirsten Hackenbroch, a doctoral researcher, Frauke Kraas wants to investigate the living conditions for herself. What do the people who live there need? What do they lack most? Her objective is to improve city planning.
At a glance
Wastewater
This is the district of Trilokpuri. Frauke Kraas goes on a fact-finding expedition to get an impression of the wastewater situation in the district. It is catastrophic. Next, she heads for the holy Yamuna River.Urban Health in Delhi
Today Frauke Kraas is taking a look at urban health. Much of the population in Delhi suffers from infectious diseases that are caused by polluted water.Travelling through Delhi by Mouse Click
A bird's-eye view of Delhi: Researchers use satellite images to study urban settlement structures. Can this also help to improve the water supply situation?Living in the "World Factory"
Today we are in the city of Guangzhou in South China. Together with the surrounding Pearl River Delta it currently has a population of about 50 million. The region is also known as the "world factory".Urban Villages
How do megacities grow? The urban development in the Pearl River Delta provides one example. Increasingly, high-rise buildings are displacing the old village structures and giving rise to urban villages.Between Tradition and Modernity
Dancing the tango in a city park, traditional architecture and modern office blocks. This is the new face of China. "If you want to get rich, first build a road," says a well-known Chinese proverb.Urban Pearls on the Pearl River
Millions of people live and work in the South Chinese megacities of Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The megacities on the Pearl River are currently one of the largest "world factories".Moving Rice for the Masses
Dhaka, Bangladesh: The inhabitants of this megacity eat some 5,000 tons of rice a day, which amounts to more than 250 truckloads. The rice is brought into the city by lorry, but the lorries are unloaded by hand....Life in a Slum: Korail
With a population of 13 million, Dhaka is one of the largest urban areas in the world. Between 30 and 40 percent of the population in Dhaka live in slums such as Korail, one of the largest slums in this megacity.The Recycling Business in Dhaka
Plastic is the gold of Islambagh. Almost the entire population of this district in Dhaka make their living from plastic or, to be more precise, from plastic waste. Predominantly unskilled workers sort the rubbish....New Ideas, New Models
The world’s megacities are complex, multi-faceted and changing at an incredible rate. The people who live there often find other, partly better solutions than the city authorities to meet the challenges they face.- Archaeology
- Architecture
- Assyriology
- Atmospheric Research
- Atomphysics
- Behavioural Biology
- Biology
- Botany
- Cellular Neuroscience
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Climate Science
- Climatology
- Computer Science
- Conversation
- Cultural Sciences
- East Asian Art Histor...
- Ecology
- Economics
- Egyptology
- Electrical Engineerin...
- Engineering Sciences
- English Studies
- Epidemiology
- Ethnology
- Forestry
- Fundamental Genomics ...
- Genetics
- Geochemistry
- Geography
- Geology
- Geomatics
- Geosciences
- History
- Human Geography
- Hydrogeologie
- Hydrology
- Indology
- Islamic Studies
- Jewish Studies
- Life Sciences
- Limnology
- Materials Science
- Mathematics
- Medical Psychology
- Medicine
- Meteorology
- Molecular Physics
- Musicology
- Mycology
- Oceanography
- Ornithology
- Paleontology
- Physics
- Physiology
- Plant Science
- Population Genetics
- Pre- and Protohistory
- Quantum Optics
- Religious Studies
- Restoration
- Sinology
- Social Psychology
- Soil Science
- Solid State Physics
- Southasian Ethnology
- Statistics
- Systems Technology
- Theology
- Town Planning
- Urban and Regional Pl...
- Zoology
- Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus
- Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel
- Cologne University of Applied Sciences
- Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald
- Frankfurt University
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena
- Georg-August-University Goettingen
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- LMU Munich
- Leibniz University Hannover
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
- Philipps-Universitaet Marburg
- RWTH Aachen University
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
- Technische Universitaet Dresden
- Technische Universitaet Munich
- Technische Universität Berlin
- University of Bielefeld
- University of Bonn
- University of Bremen
- University of Cologne
- University of Hamburg
- University of Heidelberg
- University of Konstanz
- University of Rostock
- Aachen
- Angkor / Cambodia
- Armenia
- Austria
- Berlin
- Bielefeld
- Bonn
- Braunschweig
- Brazil
- Bremen
- China
- Cologne
- Delhi / India
- Dhaka / Bangladesh
- Dresden
- Egypt
- England
- France
- Frankfurt
- Goettingen
- Greece
- Greifswald
- Gulf of Mexico
- Gutianshan / China
- Halle
- Hannover
- Heidelberg
- India
- Iraq (Mesopotamia)
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Jena
- Jiangxi / China
- Karlsruhe
- Kiel
- Kiel Canal
- Lake Constance
- Mallorca / Spain
- Marocco
- Muenster
- Munich
- Nepal
- North Atlantic
- Olpe
- Ostsee
- Pakistan
- Pakistan
- Pearl River Delta / C...
- Potsdam
- Rio San Francisco / E...
- Schwerin
- Siberia
- South Africa
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- Welzow
- Wilhelmshaven













