Global Cities

Global Cities is a new exhibition running at Tate Modern until 27 August 2007 that looks at 10 of the most dynamically changing cities in the world, Cairo, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mumbai, São Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo.

It does this by focusing on five elements of change, Size, Speed, Form, Density and Diversity. Size looks at some of the mega-cities of over 20 million people such as Mexico City, Tokyo and Sao Paulo and how succesful they have or haven’t been in handling their expansion. Speed concentrates on Cairo, Istanbul, London, Los Angeles and Shanghai and the rate at which their populations are growing and how they manage it. Form looks at how Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Mumbai, and Tokyo physically handle large populations, looking at street widths, block and plot sizes, and the amount and distribution of open green spaces. Density try’s to show how good design can make high density city living desirable and the cities looked at here are London, Cairo, Mumbai and Mexico City. Diversity looks at how ages, incomes, education levels, the range of employment sectors and people born in the city versus newcomers can effect the physical and cultural state of a city, and what factors influence integration or urban segregation. Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Shanghai are the examples here.

Global Cities uses data assembled for the International Architecture Exhibition at the 2006 Venice Biennale and films, videos and photographs by more than 20 artists and architects. Entry to the exhibition is free and its open 10am-6pm Sun-Thurs, 10am-10pm Fri-Sat. tate Modern is in Southwark on the south side of the Thames between Southwark and Blackfriars’s bridges.