It's a Mall World

Graphene is a super-strong and super-conductive material. Gerry Northam looks at its move from the laboratory to the commercial world. 

The US Federal Reserve, America's central bank, is one hundred years old. Simon Jack tells its surprising story. 

Brazil's anti-slavery hit-squads are unique. Linda Pressly joins a raid with a committed band of labour inspectors on an alleged slave labour operation in deepest rural Brazil. 

There is perhaps no city more iconic in the world than New York City. But how does the economy of the incredibly densely packed and often struggling city survive now, and will this be the case for years to come? 

We explore how keeping culture in mind when planning our cities can have effects beyond just arts-related improvements. The people behind ‘The Routledge Handbook of Urban Cultural Planning’ tell us more. Plus: we visit a treasured museum in Lima and look ahead to some cultural in ... Show More

Cities have been struggling since the pandemic. In some—including Los Angeles and San Francisco—office high-rises have become “zombie buildings,” with vacancy rates of 50% or more. But many people still want to live in cities and be part of a vibrant community. BCG’s Santiago Fer ... Show More

Nick and Wendy talk about visiting two favelas, the famous slums of Rio de Janeiro. In particular, they discuss the security situation and the level of development in the favelas. 

US shopping malls, once a mainstay of American life, are in decline. Forty malls have closed since 2020, while more than 230 department stores have closed in the same time period, according to Green Street, a real estate analytics firm.But where there is change, there is also opp ... Show More

The majority of human beings currently live in urban areas -- and this trend seems set to continue. According to the most recent estimates, two-thirds of humanity will live in urban areas by 2050. However, not all cities are created equally. In fact, countries throughout the worl ... Show More

An American ex-pat tells us why he's made Mexico City his home for the past 25 years and how the Mexican capital is becoming a magnet for people from around the Americas. We'll also look at the fun things you can do only in Los Angeles, when the city gets back to its own version ... Show More

Why some cities are more effective than others at reducing inequalities in the built environment.For the first time in history, most people live in cities. One in seven are living in slums, the most excluded parts of cities, in which the basics of urban life—including adequate ho ... Show More

We crave more third spaces in this city — but our local coffeehouses do a damn good job! Host Ali Vallarta asks local cafetero Alonso Reyna Rivarola what makes a café worth spending hours in, and why coffee shops have become an important safe space for a lot of locals. Plus, wher ... Show More

Hear about travel to Mexico City as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ashlea Russell from SheRoamsAbout.com about the unique and vibrant capital of Mexico.Why should you go to Mexico City?Ashlea says, "I think Mexico City is It's a very unique city people always say there's so much t ... Show More