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Pavements of Gold

City Life - Pavements of Gold

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Urban poverty is one of the biggest challenges facing the world in the 21st century. In 1950, three hundred million people were living in urban areas; by 2001 that figure had increased to 2.85 billion, or almost half the world's population. And the flow of rural migrants arriving in the world's mega cities shows no signs of slowing down. -- 'It is a trend which cannot be stopped,' says Anna Tibaijuka, the executive director of the UN Center for Human Settlements, 'even in the developing countries...'

With the backdrop of Lima, Peru, this program examines the enduring magnetism of big cities -- and asks whether the migrants who have moved here now feel that city life is the answer to their dreams.