City Life

A hundred years ago, Sao Paulo, Brazil was home to roughly 250,000 people. Today, it houses 18 million people, making it the world's third largest city. A huge, sprawling megalopolis that has grown too fast to provide adequate shelter for all its inhabitants, 20 percent of Sao Paulo's population live in favelas (or slums), neighborhoods that stand in stark contrast to the elite's gated, guarded communities. While it would be a daunting task for any mayor to transform this place into a sustainable 21st century global city, that's precisely what Marta Suplicy hopes to do, especially since crime, pollution, and traffic are everyday problems that affect rich and poor alike. City Life is the eponymous opening title of a 22-part series that examines the effects of globalization on people and cities worldwide. Viewers follow Suplicy as she visits schools, hospitals, and shelters--and even travels into the illegal communes of squatters and the favelas--to obtain firsthand knowledge of the city's problems. Greeted more like a celebrity than a politician (perhaps not surprisingly, since she did once give advice for sexual problems on a Brazilian TV show), Suplicy hopes to rid Sao Paulo's government of ingrained corruption, while bringing the "haves" and the "have-nots" together. Noble aspirations indeed; unfortunately, the documentary doesn't offer any evidence that Suplicy has any concrete plans, merely ideals and good intentions (neither of which are in particularly short supply amongst politicians). In short, since City Life (at least this episode) effectively highlights the issues facing cities, with various researchers shedding light on the problems of globalization, but doesn't offer more than vague generalities of what will need to be done in the immediate future, this is only recommended for extensive contemporary world studies collections, and optional for others. Other titles in the series (series price: $1,650) include: The Barcelona Blueprint, Gaza Under Siege, and My Hanoi. Optional. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Asala)