1 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:13,990 DAN CRUICKSHANK: This is a journey to see how people live together and connect 2 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:15,870 through architecture. 3 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:19,790 How the poor can build their own city, 4 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:22,030 and create vibrant communities. 5 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:29,110 Architecture that dreamed of bringing people together 6 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:30,990 in a brave new world. 7 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:43,230 The oldest city in the world that still inspires the soul. 8 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:54,190 And a building of the modern age that reaches for the sky. 9 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,950 This is the wilderness at the heart of Brazil. 10 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:11,950 But in the middle of the last century, 11 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:15,710 it became the site for a giant experiment in city-building. 12 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:33,950 It was one of the most audacious architectural projects ever realised. 13 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,110 It was created at a time when people believed that architecture 14 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,150 could change the world, that architects could cure social evils. 15 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:44,950 They could transform, for the better, the way in which we live. 16 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,510 And all is to be achieved through a perfect city 17 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:50,430 designed from scratch. 18 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,590 The city was to be Brazil's new capital. 19 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:58,630 The site was remote, 20 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,950 600 kilometres from the nearest paved road. 21 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,710 But in just over three years, it was transformed. 22 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:16,110 They built Brasília. 23 00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:26,550 The city was inaugurated on the 21st of April, 1960, 24 00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:28,870 intended as a bold fresh start 25 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:31,950 for a country stricken by poverty and disease. 26 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:36,310 It was to be a new capital 27 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,830 to express the identity and aspirations of a new nation, 28 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,390 proclaiming social equality and belief in the future. 29 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,990 These buildings are all the work of one man, 30 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,070 the great Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. 31 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,550 Politically, a communist. 32 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,110 Architecturally, a modernist. 33 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:08,790 He realised the government's vision 34 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,790 through sculptural buildings liberated from styles of the past. 35 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,550 It's extraordinary to think that not one building in this city 36 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:21,350 is older than I am. 37 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:23,350 It's an infant. 38 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,430 It still has some of the exhilaration of youth about it. 39 00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:35,150 I know most people are unmoved by modernist architecture, 40 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,030 but I think this little elegant building could bring about a few conversions. 41 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,030 Just open your mind to it. Just look at it. 42 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:44,310 It's the Palace of Justice. 43 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:46,750 And the building, all to do with light, 44 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:49,710 with glass walls letting light flood inside. 45 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,110 A beautiful space to occupy and to work in. 46 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:54,350 And it's to do with lightness, 47 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,470 the lightness of the construction, the minimal construction. 48 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:00,350 It's fantastic, really. The whole thing's supported on these 49 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:04,670 really elegant, beautifully shaped curved columns, 50 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:06,470 and they barely touch the ground. 51 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,470 This whole building seems to float in space. 52 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:11,270 Incredibly beautiful. 53 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,190 The greatest ornament of this building is simply 54 00:05:14,280 --> 00:05:16,430 the means of its construction. 55 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,870 Modernist architecture has a reputation for being arid, 56 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:25,910 anonymous, machinelike. 57 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:28,910 But not here. 58 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:32,750 Niemeyer wanted to create an architecture 59 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:36,670 that reflected the nature of Brazil and its people. 60 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:41,510 So he used the curve to echo the curve of the Brazilian hills, 61 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,990 the curves of the clouds in the skies, 62 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:49,350 and of, as he put it, the form of your lover. 63 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:51,750 He was particularly taken, he said, 64 00:05:51,840 --> 00:05:56,590 by the curvaceous baroque buttocks of Brazilian beauties. 65 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:59,630 And that's the sort of form, the sensuous form, 66 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:01,910 he wanted to put into his architecture. 67 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:11,870 The city's great centrepiece 68 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:15,150 is the building housing the Brazilian parliament. 69 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:17,470 This is very exciting. 70 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:20,270 I'm going onto the roof of the Congress Building. 71 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:23,790 The roof used to be open to the public, but it has been closed for decades. 72 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,510 I suppose for reasons of security, health and safety. 73 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:31,270 So, I'm very privileged. I'm about to have an experience 74 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:34,470 that is now denied to the citizens of Brazil. 75 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:37,630 Here we are. Gosh, it's wonderful. 76 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:10,110 It's strangely antique. Almost spiritual, really. 77 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:14,710 Up here is like being on the top of an acropolis, like in Athens. 78 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:18,630 And the ramps are like the ramps of Egyptian temples. 79 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,990 It's an amazing marriage, really, of old and new, 80 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:24,790 of the materialistic and the spiritual. 81 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:28,030 Creating a government building that's also, in a way, 82 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,230 a sacred building, the heart of the nation. 83 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:41,190 But what's surprising for me is that in a city conceived by communists, 84 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:45,070 rises one of the world's most spiritually-charged cathedrals. 85 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,790 A dark passage takes you down to the bowels of the earth, 86 00:07:56,880 --> 00:08:00,390 into a grotto, into a tomb. 87 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:05,070 But you get here and suddenly there's an explosion of light. 88 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:09,710 This, of course, has to do with rebirth, resurrection. 89 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,030 The tomb becomes the womb. 90 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:17,030 All this is very obviously Christian, isn't it? 91 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:19,430 Christ's tomb, the Resurrection. 92 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:23,310 And the form of the building, the great concrete arches are like, 93 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:25,270 well, the crown of thorns. 94 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:28,910 But Niemeyer was an atheist, so it may seem amazing, 95 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:33,430 odd at least, that he would design such a powerful Christian cathedral. 96 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:35,150 But that, of course, is to miss the point. 97 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:36,950 This is not just to do with Christianity, 98 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,430 but a fusion of the beliefs of the people of Brazil. 99 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:44,190 Roman Catholics, older religions, religions brought here from Africa. 100 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:46,430 A fantastic monument 101 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,350 to the nature of the nation of Brazil. 102 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:57,030 But to comprehend the scale of Brasília's ambition, 103 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,830 to see how it embraces the modern age, 104 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:02,310 requires a different perspective. 105 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,670 Brasília looks fantastic from the air, looking down. 106 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,070 It's like a great architect's model. 107 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:22,150 Everything's ordered, in its place. Everything's designed. 108 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,550 Can't help but feel the architects always wanted 109 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:28,790 the city to be seen from a few hundred metres up. 110 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:35,030 It's been laid out in the shape of an aeroplane with swept-back wings. 111 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,310 It's clearly divided into zones according to use. 112 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:41,190 A modernist hallmark. 113 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:45,950 I'm now running next to the fuselage of the aeroplane, so to speak, 114 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,430 the central monumental axis 115 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:51,950 along which are set the government buildings, the ministries. 116 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:54,390 And at the cockpit, where the pilot would be, 117 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:56,270 the congress, the government. 118 00:09:56,360 --> 00:10:01,110 There the wings meet the main axis, where the engines would be, so to speak, 119 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:03,470 are the, um... It's a commercial area. 120 00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:07,910 Commerce offices driving the city. Fantastic symbolism. 121 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:12,270 And below me, on the curve of the wings, are the residential areas, 122 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:16,710 with housing slabs set in parkland. 123 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:20,470 It's really rather wonderful, actually. A great sculptural city. 124 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:34,710 Brasília's residential areas were planned with great care 125 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:37,110 to create a new classless world. 126 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:41,950 Blocks were limited to the height 127 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:46,190 from which mothers could hear their children playing below. 128 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,310 And apartments were to be distributed right across the social spectrum, 129 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:53,870 government ministers and labourers living side-by-side. 130 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:57,550 This was one of the first to be constructed. 131 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:00,990 Hello. Ah! 132 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:03,550 And Doña Olga has been here from the start. 133 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:08,590 Very good. So, I've come to see your lovely home. 134 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:10,670 There's a painting. 135 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:12,910 Yes, see, a little finger comes out there. 136 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:15,510 Yes. 137 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:19,870 She moved to Brasília when her husband was elected as a state deputy. 138 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:28,990 Did you feel you were 139 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:31,870 on the cutting edge of a new way of living in cities? 140 00:11:44,680 --> 00:11:46,670 Would you ever move? 141 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:57,110 But Brasília was the victim of a changing world. 142 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:00,110 Brazil's socialist government fell, 143 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,590 and the egalitarian vision of the city was abandoned. 144 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:07,070 The gap between rich and poor opened up once again. 145 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:18,110 Doña Francisca works as a cleaner at the Ministry of Urban Planning. 146 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,510 (BOTH SPEAKING IN BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE) 147 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,670 But she can't afford to live in the centre of the city. 148 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:30,510 Like thousands of Brasília's low-paid workers, 149 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:32,990 she lives on its distant outskirts, 150 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:36,430 spending three hours a day on a bus to and from work. 151 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,110 She has an extra weekend job to make ends meet. 152 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:47,030 And what little time she has at home, she spends here, 153 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,710 in one of Brasília's satellite towns. 154 00:12:55,720 --> 00:12:57,910 They're the city's alter ego, 155 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:01,550 unintended, disorganised and poor. 156 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:10,110 (IN BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE) 157 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:24,750 What's life like here? Is it inconvenient? Dangerous, even? 158 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:40,670 So what connection do you feel to Brasília? 159 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:08,190 What do you think would happen to Brasília 160 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:10,030 if the satellite towns didn't exist? 161 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:14,590 Brasília's a modernist's dream, architecturally stunning. 162 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:18,070 It was to show how people should live together. 163 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:21,950 The rich with the poor, workers and professionals. 164 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:24,670 But now I've been to the satellite town, 165 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:28,350 it's clear that this dream has failed 166 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:32,030 and the workers, really, have been betrayed. 167 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:08,630 This is Damascus, 168 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:12,150 the capital of Syria, at the heart of the Middle East. 169 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,910 Damascus is the oldest continuously-inhabited city on Earth. 170 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:32,390 Perhaps 7,000 years old. 171 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:34,350 Where the once great and ancient cities like 172 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:36,430 Persepolis, Babylon or Jericho 173 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:38,950 are now nothing but ruins or shrunken villages, 174 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:42,710 Damascus is alive and well, thriving. 175 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:47,190 I find it intoxicating because it appeals to all the senses. 176 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:50,470 It inflames, feeds the brain, 177 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:52,350 and moves the spirit. 178 00:16:57,800 --> 00:16:59,550 To walk the streets of Damascus 179 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:02,910 is to see what makes it so successful and enduring. 180 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:06,870 From its earliest days, the city's been a centre of trade 181 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:08,870 between East and West. 182 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:12,230 And it's trade that's kept the city a living being. 183 00:17:13,120 --> 00:17:15,990 This is the oldest street of trade in Damascus. 184 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:20,750 It's Straight Street, the Decumanus Maximus of Roman times. 185 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:23,150 Originally, it was four times this width, 186 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:26,590 with columns on each side. And behind the columns, shops, 187 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:30,350 selling the trade goods, the wealth and wonders of the empire. 188 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:43,510 The city's tradition of trade is revealed by its wonderful food. 189 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:44,670 Mmm. 190 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:46,870 It's emblematic of Damascus. 191 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,910 The markets are loaded with herbs and spices 192 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:51,710 from all over the Middle East. 193 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:53,390 Very good. 194 00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:58,590 And sharing food is an important part of Damascus life. 195 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:03,190 It brings the people together, and makes them feel part of the city. 196 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,950 Ah, nuts. Nuts. Lovely, nuts. 197 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:11,790 -All from Syria? -Coffee? 198 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:13,750 Oh, well. Okay. 199 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:17,190 How lovely. I didn't expect that. 200 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:21,870 I come to buy some nuts and I get some lovely coffee. 201 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,510 -But I say, these all nuts from Syria? -Syria. 202 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:29,190 All from Syria. Toasted and roasted. Oh, what's that? 203 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:33,310 -Salt. -Salt, of course! 204 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:35,670 Of course, salted peanuts. 205 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:38,470 Very hot? Yes. 206 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:41,350 Good joke. Very hot. Yes. 207 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,150 And up there, endless bags of nuts, stored. 208 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:48,790 An incredible scene. An Aladdin's cave of nuts. 209 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,070 MAN: Come upstairs. 210 00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:54,630 -"Damascus nuts," it says. Yes. -MAN: They are Damascus. 211 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:11,150 Pumpkin seed. 212 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:13,350 Can't beat that. 213 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:26,830 The constant commercial activity throughout the centuries 214 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:30,710 means that some of Damascus' finest and most ancient architecture 215 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:32,550 is devoted to trade. 216 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,350 A large number of khans survive in the old city. 217 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:40,630 A khan is a warehouse 218 00:19:40,720 --> 00:19:44,710 which also included accommodation offices for merchants. 219 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:47,990 Mostly like this one, they're approached through a big arch, 220 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:49,830 off a major commercial street. 221 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:53,470 And they are, generally, architecturally wonderful, like this one. 222 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:56,150 This was built about 300 years ago, I'm told, 223 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:58,710 and was home to tobacco merchants. 224 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:02,630 Three domes in a row, with the sky open in the middle, 225 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,270 with the sky working like a sort of ornamental ceiling. 226 00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:09,030 Amazing sort of little palace of trade. 227 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:22,030 The most magnificent khan is the As'ad Pasha. 228 00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:32,230 Built in 1752, it's a stunning piece of geometry, 229 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:34,910 and as fine as any mosque in the city. 230 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:40,230 Along the trade routes leading to Damascus 231 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:43,190 travelled ideas, art and religion. 232 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:45,630 But rather than dividing the city, 233 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:48,110 different religions and people were absorbed 234 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:50,630 to enrich the culture of Damascus. 235 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:55,990 This site's been the sacred heart, the soul of Damascus, 236 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:58,190 for at least 3,000 years. 237 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:01,230 Various conquerors brought their gods with them, 238 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,070 and reshaped the building to suit their needs. 239 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:08,070 This portico here, with the columns, and the wonderful wall in front of me, 240 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:09,590 date from the 2nd century AD, 241 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,950 and are the remains of the Roman Temple of Jupiter. 242 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:18,710 This building shows how Damascus has survived 243 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:20,990 through its ability to adapt. 244 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:28,550 In the 4th century, the pagan temple was converted 245 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:30,710 into a Christian cathedral. 246 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:35,830 And when the Muslims conquered Damascus in 636, 247 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,270 they shared the building with their Christian neighbours 248 00:21:38,360 --> 00:21:40,150 for nearly a century. 249 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:46,790 This court's a fantastic architectural space. 250 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:50,390 But incredibly, it's only a shadow of its former self. 251 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,950 Originally, all these surfaces were covered with mosaic. 252 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:56,830 Imagine it, gold, glistening in the sun. 253 00:21:57,320 --> 00:21:59,510 They were executed in the 8th century. 254 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:02,830 But some of the mosaic does survive, it's behind me here, 255 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:05,630 in this colonnade, now rather faded. 256 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:09,190 It shows, I suppose, Damascus in the 8th century. 257 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:12,990 There's the river Barada, full of water. 258 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,110 The trees, plants, little houses, 259 00:22:17,120 --> 00:22:20,190 palaces, mosques... An image of paradise. 260 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:30,510 The Muslims rebuilt within the ancient walls in 705 261 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,430 to create the greatest mosque in the world. 262 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:37,510 But they didn't just sweep the past away. 263 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,630 Inside are rows of Corinthian columns from the cathedral. 264 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:51,990 The memory of the old building was kept alive 265 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:54,390 in this vast Muslim prayer hall. 266 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:04,230 And this historic structure is still a living place of worship. 267 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:14,790 I love this mosque. It's warm, welcoming. 268 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:18,350 A sense of calm. A sense of peace. 269 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:22,350 People come here to contemplate. To pray, of course. 270 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:25,630 Families wander round. A wonderful atmosphere. 271 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:27,870 Terrific carpets everywhere. 272 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:29,910 And the sounds, the sounds of... 273 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:31,350 (TELEPHONE RINGING) 274 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:33,790 Telephones, chanting, 275 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:36,790 people just going about their daily life. 276 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:38,710 It's very, very reassuring. 277 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:43,590 One can't help but sitting here and feeling that 278 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,550 within these ancient walls still resides 279 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:49,950 the soul of the ancient city of Damascus. 280 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:10,870 And Damascus has survived and prospered 281 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:13,150 because people of different religious faiths 282 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:15,510 found a way of living together. 283 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,150 So, the city was divided into separate areas, 284 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:33,230 each home to a trade or religious group. 285 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:38,230 So there'd be a Muslim quarter, a Christian quarter, a Jewish quarter. 286 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:40,310 And each of these groups would feel secure 287 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,030 in their maze of streets, with their gates, 288 00:24:43,120 --> 00:24:45,510 and almost fortified tower entries. 289 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:49,630 A place that would be utterly confusing to unwelcome strangers. 290 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:05,590 The miracle of Damascus 291 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,790 is its strong sense of history and identity. 292 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:12,630 An identity that does not depend on one culture or religion. 293 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:16,230 And one way the past is kept alive 294 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:19,070 is through the tradition of storytelling. 295 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:21,430 (READING IN ARABIC) 296 00:25:55,360 --> 00:25:56,830 (MAN CHEERING) 297 00:25:56,920 --> 00:25:58,790 (PEOPLE APPLAUDING) 298 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:04,430 (THANKING IN ARABIC) 299 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:05,910 Very good, very good. 300 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:10,870 It's incredible to think that Damascus was ancient 301 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:13,190 when Rome became a power in the land. 302 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:16,150 It was old when the Pharaohs ruled in Egypt. 303 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:19,710 The city's had a turbulent history. 304 00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:23,270 Attacked by the Christian Crusaders in the 12th century, 305 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:27,870 pillaged horribly by Tamerlane and his Mongols in 1401, 306 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:29,830 but it survived. 307 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:33,150 It's seen empires and tyrants come and go. 308 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:36,270 It offers a fantastic object lesson 309 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:40,710 in how people can live together, creatively, and in harmony. 310 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:43,550 It's a wonderful city in which to be in. 311 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:22,830 This is New York City, the stunning City of Towers. 312 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:34,470 The skyscraper, the building of the modern age, 313 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,230 has been with us for just over a century, 314 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,030 ever since we learned how to build huge metal frames 315 00:27:40,120 --> 00:27:42,350 to carry their massive loads. 316 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,430 The skyscraper transformed the way cities are built, 317 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:53,950 and the way they are lived in, for good and for ill. 318 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:04,470 From the earliest days, they've had their enemies. 319 00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:07,910 But the city high-rise is here to stay. 320 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:10,790 Getting its design right is vital 321 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:14,350 if we're to live in harmony on this overcrowded planet. 322 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:22,390 In midtown Manhattan, there's one skyscraper that's long intrigued me, 323 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,990 the soaring tower of the Rockefeller Center. 324 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:42,390 It's part of a vision of a better way of living and working 325 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:44,470 in a crowded modern city. 326 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:49,390 The tower is staggeringly tall and slender. 327 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:57,270 The setbacks, the small sections cut into it like steps, 328 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:00,390 give the tower an abstract, sculptural quality. 329 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:08,390 Although it looks wide from the side, from the front it's almost blade-like. 330 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:12,310 It has a cubist, machine-like beauty. 331 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:14,590 It's reaching for the future. 332 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:22,830 A family of 13 buildings frame the main tower, 333 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:25,270 occupying 22 acres of the city. 334 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:33,030 The tower contains offices, 335 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,750 but this is no mundane place of work. 336 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:53,430 Good afternoon, Mr Cruickshank. 337 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,350 Oh, excellent! You've been expecting me. 338 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:58,670 -Welcome to Rockefeller Center. -Thank you very much. 339 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:01,110 What a fantastic place in which to work. 340 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:02,670 Isn't it? It sure is. 341 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:06,630 The tower started in 1931. 342 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,830 And the lobby is a sensational example of Art Deco. 343 00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:13,870 The materials and details are of the highest quality. 344 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:15,710 Very tactile. 345 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:28,230 This really is a spectacular and magnificent space. 346 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,590 It's not just the entrance to a private set of offices, 347 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:35,150 it's also a public thoroughfare full of shops. 348 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:37,110 It's part of the city. 349 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:40,270 And it's full of inspiring art. 350 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:44,710 Over there is a mural showing American progress. 351 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:47,390 The marriage of brawn and brain. 352 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:51,670 And in the centre, a rendering of the Rockefeller Tower itself. 353 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:54,350 It's all very idealistic. 354 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:57,430 And that's a clue to the story of this building 355 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,390 which is all to do with vision and courage. 356 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:07,710 This building was the dream of John D Rockefeller, Jr, 357 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:10,470 the heir of a great commercial dynasty. 358 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:14,390 During the Great Depression of the 1930s, 359 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:17,470 he staked his reputation, and much of his wealth, 360 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:20,470 on a hugely ambitious building project. 361 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:23,510 The Rockefeller Center was an enormous gamble. 362 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:25,910 But it paid off. 363 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:35,110 More than 30,000 people work in Rockefeller Center. 364 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,790 In everything, from a broadcasting company 365 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:40,390 to airlines and an auction house. 366 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:52,150 -Hello. -Hello, Mr Cruickshank. 367 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:54,150 I will call Mr Gerard for you now. 368 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:55,790 -Thank you very much. -Thank you. 369 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:00,910 I'm curious to see how the tower works as an office. 370 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,990 Is its strange narrow shape a problem? 371 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:08,070 To find out, I've come to meet a partner in a corporate law firm 372 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:10,470 who's worked here for 20 years. 373 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:13,190 -...one of our partners who... -Partner. 374 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:15,590 -...I'm going to interrupt here. Dan. -Oh, dear... 375 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:17,430 -This is Laura Friedrich. -Hello. 376 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:18,990 FRIEDRICH: Hi. How are you? GERARD: Dan Cruickshank. 377 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:22,350 Very well. Nice to meet you. Sorry to take you away from your work. 378 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:24,110 Oh, no, no, please. 379 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:26,630 Lovely, lovely light... Office. 380 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:29,070 Yes, they always notice the light in this office 381 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:31,910 because the building is so narrow that you have light on both sides 382 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,910 and it's... It very pleasant, I presume. 383 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:37,870 -Marian Baldwin, Dan Cruickshank. -How do you do? 384 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:39,750 -Hi, nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you. 385 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:41,750 GERARD: This is not an efficient use of space, 386 00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:43,870 but everyone has an exterior office. 387 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:46,350 There's really no core to the building, except for the elevators, 388 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:49,670 and I guess the only thing without windows are the washrooms. 389 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:53,630 Now, these are two of our associates, 390 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,950 one of whom is on the telephone. Richard Tourgood. 391 00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:58,470 -How are you? -How do you do? 392 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:00,550 -Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you. 393 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:03,030 -So, two in room, eh? I see. -That's right. 394 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:05,990 Who gets... How do you sort out who gets the window here? 395 00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:07,950 Who was here first? 396 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:14,870 Uh, this is where... My wife would say this is where I live. 397 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:18,310 And, uh... But you'll understand that. In any event, this is my office. 398 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,310 A nice home you've got. It's a corner office. How lovely. 399 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:24,750 Yes, well, it is a corner office and everybody likes to have a corner office, 400 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:26,070 that makes you feel important. 401 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:28,430 Because in the setbacks here at Rockefeller Center, 402 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:31,910 there are eight corners on every floor. 403 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:35,830 So I have a very nice corner office. There's another corner just up there. 404 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:38,030 -Mmm-hmm. -And so with eight per floor 405 00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:40,310 and nine floors, you have 72 happy partners. 406 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:42,390 Interesting. A benefit of the setbacks. 407 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:44,030 -Can I see the view you've got? -Yes, of course. 408 00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:46,590 CRUICKSHANK: It looks terrific. GERARD: The, uh, curtains here. 409 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:48,190 CRUICKSHANK: I already see it. 410 00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:50,670 Although I don't get a lot of time to stand here and look, 411 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:53,350 that is St Patrick's Cathedral on your left, 412 00:33:53,440 --> 00:33:55,190 just on the other side of Fifth Avenue. 413 00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:56,990 CRUICKSHANK: Yes. 414 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:09,950 It isn't just the design that makes the Rockefeller so loved. 415 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:19,110 This is a building that's always invited people in. 416 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:21,150 It's part of the city. 417 00:34:21,240 --> 00:34:25,510 And now nearly 100 million people pass through the Center each year. 418 00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:34,190 It's hard now to imagine it, but 100 or so years ago, 419 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:38,070 all of this was a European style low-rise city. 420 00:34:38,160 --> 00:34:40,830 And when the first skyscrapers started to appear, 421 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:43,590 they were viewed with a deep suspicion. 422 00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:02,470 The success of the Rockefeller 423 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:06,310 showed that skyscrapers didn't have to be objects of fear, 424 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:08,630 but could enrich people's lives. 425 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:13,950 The Rockefeller Center occupies several city blocks, 426 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:18,830 and within its domain, strives to create a more perfect vision of the city. 427 00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:21,710 And look, there are these incredible details. 428 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:27,990 Here is this grille around the tree. A wonderful Art Deco piece of work. 429 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:32,230 It brings this amazing quality to the area, a civic quality. 430 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:35,390 And marks it all out as being Rockefeller territory, 431 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:39,470 confirms this place really is a city within the city. 432 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:48,070 Here, art abounds that's intended to lift the spirits 433 00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:50,990 and proclaim the wonder of the modern age. 434 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:55,870 And below ground, there are restaurants and shops, 435 00:35:55,960 --> 00:35:58,550 a pioneering idea back in the '30s. 436 00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:03,790 It was once said you could do anything here 437 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:06,870 except sleep, pray, and not pay rent. 438 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:15,830 Golly, I've never had such a good buffing. 439 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:18,470 I mean, what a shine! It's a work of art. 440 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:25,870 Visitors flock to the Rockefeller in their millions. 441 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:30,790 But what do New Yorkers themselves think? 442 00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:33,590 It's kind of the glue that holds midtown together. 443 00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:35,630 Just look around. It's absolutely stunning. 444 00:36:35,720 --> 00:36:37,190 The greatest place on Earth. 445 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:38,670 It's tall and shiny. 446 00:36:38,760 --> 00:36:41,630 It's splendid. It's like something you want to chew. 447 00:36:41,720 --> 00:36:44,390 -Do you like this building? -Yes. 448 00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:48,510 It's a landmark! What the hell do you mean, 449 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:50,190 do I like Rockefeller Center? 450 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:56,630 (WIND HOWLING) 451 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:07,550 Unlike most office blocks, the Rockefeller is still full of life 452 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:10,270 long after the workers have gone home. 453 00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:25,070 Keep your... Keep your arms out. 454 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:26,990 Oh, no! 455 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:28,390 Come on. 456 00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:32,270 -Come on, man, you can do this. -(STUTTERING) Yes. 457 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:38,990 If I fall on my back, I know one thing, 458 00:37:39,080 --> 00:37:41,110 I'll get a splendid view 459 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:44,270 of the tower. 460 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:49,750 (PIANO PLAYING) 461 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:51,590 (PEOPLE CHATTERING) 462 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:56,670 At the top sits Rockefeller's Rainbow Room and Grill 463 00:37:56,760 --> 00:37:59,230 where people come from all over the world 464 00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:02,190 to drink in the atmosphere of New York. 465 00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:16,030 High-rise buildings have been much criticised, 466 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:20,310 but the Rockefeller Center is the model of how it ought to be done. 467 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:24,430 It combines private profits with public benefits, 468 00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:26,310 utility with beauty. 469 00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:30,750 It's a solution to modern city living, not one of the problems. 470 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:36,230 For me, this is the most perfect skyscraper in the world! 471 00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:41,630 This is Dharavi in Mumbai, 472 00:39:41,720 --> 00:39:44,270 home to 600,000 people 473 00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:48,190 and notorious as the largest slum in Asia. 474 00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:51,510 I find this place absolutely riveting. 475 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:53,870 Here, in its organic forms, 476 00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:56,230 you see the origin of cities. 477 00:39:56,320 --> 00:40:00,750 You see how people living and working in extreme conditions 478 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:03,190 create their own architecture. 479 00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:18,670 Here in Dharavi, you can sense how most major cities were born. 480 00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:22,550 Little has been planned. This is organic growth. 481 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:25,230 Architecture without architects. 482 00:40:29,040 --> 00:40:32,750 The people have created the buildings they need to survive. 483 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:38,710 Dharavi was built in the 20th century, but it tells a much older story. 484 00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:42,190 This speaks of the way people create communities, 485 00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:44,430 how we learn to live together. 486 00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:54,590 It's incredible. It's like being in a medieval European city. 487 00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:59,230 Narrow alleys, and down there I'm looking into different homes. 488 00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:01,390 People getting dressed, ready to go to work. 489 00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:04,110 And here there are overhangs in the first floor 490 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:06,150 like Tudor jetties. 491 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:10,190 CRUICKSHANK: Hello. Hello. 492 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:13,190 Hello. 493 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:19,310 Dharavi was originally a malarial swamp 494 00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:23,030 that, since the 1930s, has been gradually reclaimed. 495 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,510 Now it covers almost one square mile. 496 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:37,510 It was only during the 1970s that the state government 497 00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:41,950 built a handful of latrine blocks and communal taps in parts of Dharavi. 498 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:47,310 It's lack of basic sanitation has meant that diseases like cholera 499 00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:49,990 are rife during the monsoon season. 500 00:41:53,000 --> 00:41:56,750 There are more than 500 people using each latrine every day. 501 00:41:59,360 --> 00:42:02,070 And less than 30% of Dharavi has sewers. 502 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:10,070 The people have had to build their own homes from tarpaulin, 503 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:14,350 scrap timber and bits of corrugated metal, 504 00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:17,110 adding bricks as they can afford it. 505 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:26,470 For decades, 506 00:42:26,560 --> 00:42:29,590 these homes could be pulled down at any time by the government 507 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:33,430 because Dharavi was regarded as just another illegal slum. 508 00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:38,510 But the desperate nature of living in Dharavi 509 00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:42,390 has stimulated the people to flights of creative exuberance. 510 00:42:46,800 --> 00:42:49,430 I love this brilliant do-it-yourself, ad hoc architecture, 511 00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:51,790 using cheap and available materials. 512 00:42:51,880 --> 00:42:54,390 Look, that shutter's a fridge door! 513 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:57,190 Ah, hello! 514 00:42:57,280 --> 00:42:58,830 (CHUCKLING) 515 00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:01,950 The family that lives here 516 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:05,590 has very kindly said I could have a look around inside. 517 00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:08,870 Hello. 518 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:10,510 This is the main room of the house. 519 00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:13,750 I'm told six people live and sleep in here. 520 00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:15,350 And here's the bedding. 521 00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:17,590 And everywhere, beautiful, bright colours. 522 00:43:17,680 --> 00:43:20,870 And here is a shrine to Shiva 523 00:43:20,960 --> 00:43:23,950 with family portraits all around it. 524 00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:26,510 And here is the kitchen. 525 00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:33,590 Everything is very orderly, very arranged, very clean. Wonderful. 526 00:43:41,640 --> 00:43:45,350 The story of Dharavi began over 70 years ago 527 00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:47,710 when the Great Depression gripped India 528 00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:51,910 and rural workers migrated from the countryside to the cities. 529 00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:06,990 Over the decades, Dharavi grew. 530 00:44:07,080 --> 00:44:11,070 And each group that arrived formed its own distinctive settlement. 531 00:44:21,760 --> 00:44:24,430 This is where the Valmiki community lives. 532 00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:28,510 They're originally from North India, and they're sweepers by trade. 533 00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:33,110 This community has grown on this site from the early 1950s. 534 00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:34,510 Some families came here, 535 00:44:34,600 --> 00:44:36,630 invited their friends and relatives to join them, 536 00:44:36,720 --> 00:44:39,190 and their community's got bigger and bigger. 537 00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:43,070 I think many of the people would rather still be in the countryside, 538 00:44:43,160 --> 00:44:46,150 but they can't because there's no work there. 539 00:44:46,240 --> 00:44:50,750 This is the main temple, for the Hindus. I'm going to go inside. 540 00:44:51,080 --> 00:44:53,030 (MAN SPEAKING IN HINDI) 541 00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:07,870 Thank you. Thank you. 542 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:18,430 Communities come here to work, 543 00:45:18,520 --> 00:45:20,910 to try and build a better life for themselves, 544 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:24,030 so there's very little unemployment in Dharavi. 545 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:29,270 The irony is that these people provide much of Mumbai's labour and industry. 546 00:45:29,360 --> 00:45:32,070 But the city, which couldn't function without Dharavi, 547 00:45:32,160 --> 00:45:34,590 does little to sustain life here. 548 00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:41,430 There are some pretty nasty and hazardous industries located in Dharavi. 549 00:45:41,520 --> 00:45:44,070 And most of these seem to be to do with recycling. 550 00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:46,470 All manner of things are being recycled here. 551 00:45:46,560 --> 00:45:48,470 Mostly, I think, plastic. 552 00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:51,110 All of this is unregulated by the city, 553 00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:53,270 but then, of course, Mumbai does like Dharavi 554 00:45:53,360 --> 00:45:55,830 to do the city's dirty work for it. 555 00:46:00,080 --> 00:46:03,590 And all this industry has allowed some of the older generation 556 00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:07,430 to build up reserves of money to invest in their communities. 557 00:46:08,560 --> 00:46:11,310 I was in for a few surprises. 558 00:46:15,520 --> 00:46:17,910 Here's a school for the Tamil community. 559 00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:20,270 And here are the children having a lesson. 560 00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:22,550 Very boisterous. Very smart. 561 00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:23,910 -BOY: Yes. -Hello. 562 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:26,110 -ALL: Hi! -Hi! 563 00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:27,630 (EXCITED CHATTERING) 564 00:46:27,720 --> 00:46:29,390 (LAUGHING) Brilliant! 565 00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:32,030 And next door is a Hindu temple. 566 00:46:32,120 --> 00:46:35,430 So school and temple unified in one building. 567 00:46:35,520 --> 00:46:39,110 Clearly, this community's doing very well. There's money here. 568 00:46:39,200 --> 00:46:43,030 And, um, these brilliant scholars I'm sure will go a long way. 569 00:46:43,640 --> 00:46:44,870 Bye. 570 00:46:44,960 --> 00:46:47,230 -ALL: Bye! -Thank you. 571 00:46:49,720 --> 00:46:53,030 There's a feeling of pride and identity in the streets of Dharavi, 572 00:46:53,120 --> 00:46:56,910 with some buildings that create a real sense of community. 573 00:47:00,880 --> 00:47:02,750 Golly, a health club. 574 00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:05,630 "Bharat Mata", mother India. 575 00:47:05,720 --> 00:47:07,910 Um, let's have a look inside. 576 00:47:11,320 --> 00:47:12,870 Hello, chaps. 577 00:47:15,840 --> 00:47:17,710 Well, well, well. 578 00:47:17,800 --> 00:47:21,350 I really didn't expect to see a gym in Dharavi. 579 00:47:22,320 --> 00:47:26,310 Here are all these fellows, fine fellows they are, too, working out. 580 00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:28,710 A very muscled chap over there. 581 00:47:29,720 --> 00:47:31,830 Very well-organised and good equipment. 582 00:47:31,920 --> 00:47:34,790 A guy here's doing some sort of lift-up. Very good. 583 00:47:39,400 --> 00:47:41,030 Admirable. 584 00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:54,030 But everything the people of Dharavi have built 585 00:47:54,120 --> 00:47:56,110 could be threatened. 586 00:47:59,560 --> 00:48:02,430 The land value of the area is now enormous. 587 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:05,590 And the city's proposing a radical redevelopment 588 00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:08,830 that's causing much concern here among the people. 589 00:48:11,760 --> 00:48:14,190 There's now an organisation that fights for the rights 590 00:48:14,280 --> 00:48:18,430 of the residents of Dharavi, headed by a former slum dweller. 591 00:48:19,040 --> 00:48:22,390 This is the main backbone of the city. 592 00:48:22,520 --> 00:48:24,950 All this is the product of people. 593 00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:30,150 They're not taken loan from the bank. The bank has not given money. 594 00:48:30,240 --> 00:48:31,950 Government has not given a grant. 595 00:48:32,040 --> 00:48:36,190 Not a single one-inch structure has been built by the government. 596 00:48:36,280 --> 00:48:40,350 (STUTTERING) That's a central point. I mean, walking around Dharavi, looking. 597 00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:43,470 I mean, "slum" is not the right word. It's not a slum. 598 00:48:43,560 --> 00:48:46,710 It's, um, very organised, different communities, 599 00:48:46,800 --> 00:48:50,750 people are poor, but they maintain their streets, their houses, 600 00:48:50,840 --> 00:48:55,150 everything's cleaned and so on. And there's lots of industry going on. 601 00:48:55,240 --> 00:48:57,350 People have created this for themselves, 602 00:48:57,440 --> 00:49:00,030 their own enterprise, their own energy, their own money. 603 00:49:00,120 --> 00:49:04,230 I just wonder what contribution the government's made, really. 604 00:49:04,320 --> 00:49:06,670 Exactly, that's what we are questioning. 605 00:49:06,760 --> 00:49:08,950 Government has done nothing. 606 00:49:09,040 --> 00:49:11,030 But that's shocking since the people who live here 607 00:49:11,120 --> 00:49:13,150 make such an obvious contribution to the city, 608 00:49:13,240 --> 00:49:15,310 the city should make a contribution to them. 609 00:49:15,400 --> 00:49:19,670 But city's... City is sucking the blood from here. 610 00:49:19,760 --> 00:49:23,510 The economy is rolling. The economy is booming. 611 00:49:24,080 --> 00:49:27,430 The whole land value has gone sky-high. 612 00:49:27,520 --> 00:49:31,590 But what do you think, realistically, the future will be? 613 00:49:32,800 --> 00:49:35,550 The government would like to bulldoze it. 614 00:49:35,640 --> 00:49:37,150 -Bulldoze, yeah, yeah. -Bulldoze it. 615 00:49:37,240 --> 00:49:42,630 So it is not easy. 600,000 people, and it's going to be a war. 616 00:49:43,560 --> 00:49:46,470 If at all even the bulldozer comes near, it will be a war. 617 00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:54,550 To visit Dharavi is like stepping back in time 618 00:49:54,640 --> 00:49:57,030 to witness the origin of cities, 619 00:49:57,120 --> 00:50:00,270 or the way people first learned to live together. 620 00:50:05,120 --> 00:50:08,630 But if Dharavi is to evolve creatively in the modern world, 621 00:50:08,720 --> 00:50:11,590 then its residents must be listened to. 622 00:50:16,960 --> 00:50:20,350 Dharavi has surprised and delighted me. 623 00:50:20,440 --> 00:50:22,830 This is a place of warmth and welcome. 624 00:50:22,920 --> 00:50:25,310 Here, a multitude of diverse peoples have, 625 00:50:25,400 --> 00:50:27,110 through their energy and enterprise, 626 00:50:27,200 --> 00:50:32,110 and against all the odds, created a viable and vibrant community. 627 00:50:32,200 --> 00:50:36,310 A community that does much to serve the great city of Mumbai, 628 00:50:36,400 --> 00:50:40,150 but which, shamefully, Mumbai does very little to help. 629 00:50:40,720 --> 00:50:42,990 This may be a place of economic poverty, 630 00:50:43,080 --> 00:50:45,910 but there's no poverty of the spirit here. 631 00:50:46,000 --> 00:50:48,070 No poverty of the soul.