logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2017
22m 59s

Urban Cable Cars

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Is a new urban cable car in Mexico more than just a means of public transport? As well as ferrying thousands of people a day, it's been strategically located to link up the poorest neighbourhoods to more affluent parts of the city. It's hoped it will bring growth to a forgotten district, reduce crime and become a means of bridging the social divide. World Hacks travels to Mexico City to see if it can achieve those goals and understand why cities are opting for this usual form of transport.

Presenter: Sahar Zand Producers: Elizabeth Cassin and Nick Holland

Image: Cable cars above Mexico City / Credit: BBC

Up next
Today
Preserving Peru’s food heritage
<p>Peru is famous for its diverse and innovative cuisine - but how is it making sure its venerable food heritage is preserved for decades to come? We meet the indigenous Quechua people who are cultivating more than 1300 species of potato, working with scientists to safeguard seed ... Show More
23m 23s
Nov 18
How literacy can change a life
<p>Learning to read empowers people, reduces poverty and increases their job chances. Yet more than 700 miliion adults are illiterate, the majority of them women. We look at innovations to help adults learn how to read from flatpack classrooms in flood-prone regions of Bangladesh ... Show More
23m 31s
Nov 11
Saving seabirds and squirrels
How do you save threatened species? This week we look at two novel solutions. In the UK, scientists are developing a unique contraceptive that will be fed in a nutty spread to grey squirrels, an invasive species that threatens the native red squirrel. And how scientists are movin ... Show More
23m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2021
The Guerrilla Cyclists of Mexico City
Tired of waiting for the local government to build more bike lanes, a group of cyclists in Mexico City, the largest city in North America, took matters into their own hands: they painted the lanes themselves.. As traffic and pollution continue to choke cities, bicycles can ease t ... Show More
28m 33s
Jun 2020
Mexico City
Harnessing the creativity of a megalopolis isn't easy, but Mexico City shows us how it's done. Follow a real-life superhero who dons a luchador mask and cape to protect his fellow residents from speeding cars, learn how citizens are hacking their way to a better public transport ... Show More
25m 47s
Jun 2023
America’s Big City Brain Drain
<p>In recent years, well-paid and college-educated Americans have shed major cities like New York, San Francisco and Washington for places like Philadelphia or Birmingham, Ala.</p><p>Emily Badger, who writes about cities and urban policy for The Upshot at The New York Times, expl ... Show More
29m 50s
Oct 2021
City Space: Should all Canadian cities be 15-minute cities?
<p>Today we're bringing you an episode of <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-coming-soon-city-space/">City Space</a>, a new podcast from The Globe and Mail about how to make our cities better, hosted by Adrian Lee.</p><p>The 15-minute city is an urban plann ... Show More
29m 46s
Apr 2021
How should we build future African cities?
The singer Akon has said he's building a new city in Uganda, to add to the one he's already planning in his home country of Senegal. His plans include gravity-defying skyscrapers, luxury apartments and places for study, work and leisure - all within a short walk of each other. Th ... Show More
12m 10s
Mar 2021
Gen Z’s transit meme dream | Tell Me More
President Joe Biden is known for his love of Amtrak — and now, many young Americans are hoping that might translate to a push for public transit, maybe even high-speed rail, from the federal government. A meme has taken off among Gen Z and millennials of an imagined high-speed ra ... Show More
11m 7s
Oct 2020
How cities are detoxing transportation | Monica Araya
<p>People around the world are demanding clean air -- and cities are starting to respond, says electrification advocate Monica Araya. She takes us on a world tour of urban areas that are working to fully electrify their transportation systems over the next decade, shifting to emi ... Show More
10m 47s