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The conflict over whose city this is, is an ancient one. It's a conflict between first world and third world, between colonizers and colonized, between rich and poor. It's being fought out in citie...s all over our planet. Funny thing is everybody I speak to, seems to think it belongs to somebody else. The very very poor are struggling to establish their right to be here, and some of the very very rich, don't dare, or don't even want to go down town, and you know maybe that's one of the great things about cities, that no one group can be in total control. On the other hand it's very clear to me, that some groups here have a lot more power than others. International bankers, global corporations, the state, the very very rich living out in Santafay behind their security gates. Over the last two decades, while cities like this, outside of the first world, have been getting bigger and bigger. The gap between rich and poor, has been growing too. I mean why are the rich so terrified. Because while they've been getting richer and richer, more and more people have been struggling simply to survive. But while I've been in this city, I've seen lots of challenges too to this system of power and privilege, and it seems to me, that unless some of those challenges succeed, then the next few decades could see, maybe should see, real trouble in some of the big cities in this world.
The conflict over whose city this is, is an ancient one. It's a conflict between first world and third world, between colonizers and colonized, between rich and poor. It's being fought out in citie...s all over our planet. Funny thing is everybody I speak to, seems to think it belongs to somebody else. The very very poor are struggling to establish their right to be here, and some of the very very rich, don't dare, or don't even want to go down town, and you know maybe that's one of the great things about cities, that no one group can be in total control. On the other hand it's very clear to me, that some groups here have a lot more power than others. International bankers, global corporations, the state, the very very rich living out in Santafay behind their security gates. Over the last two decades, while cities like this, outside of the first world, have been getting bigger and bigger. The gap between rich and poor, has been growing too. I mean why are the rich so terrified. Because while they've been getting richer and richer, more and more people have been struggling simply to survive. But while I've been in this city, I've seen lots of challenges too to this system of power and privilege, and it seems to me, that unless some of those challenges succeed, then the next few decades could see, maybe should see, real trouble in some of the big cities in this world.
| Module code and title: | DD304, The Pull of the City |
|---|---|
| Item code: | DD304; 02 |
| Recording date: | 1999 |
| Rights Statement: | Rights owned or controlled by The Open University |
| Restrictions on use: | This material can be used in accordance with The Open University conditions of use. A link to the conditions can be found at the bottom of all OUDA web pages. |
| Duration: | 00:29:06 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Colin Thomas |
| Contributor: | Doreen Massey |
| Publisher: | BBC, Open University |
| Keyword(s): | housing, poverty, street traders, Third World |
| Subject terms: | Culture and globalization; Cities and towns--Social aspects; Squatter settlements--Mexico--Mexico City; Rural-urban migration--Mexico--Mexico City ; Mexico City (Mexico)--Social conditions |
| Production number: | FOUD589E |
| Videofinder number: | 6796 |
| Available to public: | no |
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