Sri Lanky wrote:I don't buy into the idea that the BRIC countries are the future nor any other so-called "ascendant megacity". They all have their own problems and getting big on international finance means fuckall. That's a mini-reality anyways.
New York and London will remain kings in the 21st century with their diverse populations,freedom of the press,and superior military backing.
Others like Bombay(I still call it that),Shanghai,and maybe Rio will become more powerful but don't rule out the mighty Anglo-American axis just yet. The Chinese,Indians,and others still have a long way to go...getting over their own ethnocentric worldviews would be a good start.
I haven't read the book...I'm assuming that this is what it's about.
Not it's not really about that. There's no M in BRIC even though it is one of the larger economies after Brazil in the Americas.
It's more about how Mexico City as a megacity is indicative of the trends of vast urban 3rd world megacities - the inequality, poor sanitation, what have you as well as a cultural biography of the people that live there and what makes Mexico City unique. So it's a mix of travel narrative (but in one place) with some observations about on the ground socioeconomics facts. As far as I've I've gotten into it, there's no ra-ra cheerleading like you see various bankers/economists doing every time India or China is mentioned. The guy is just a journalist and talks equally well about lucha and Mexico City nightlife as he does crime and sanitation.
I'm personally a fiend for books like these about specific cities esp. when I'm not able to be on the road. They tend to go a lot deeper than most travel writing.
As to BRICtalk and the megacities - you're right. But that's a topic for another thread.
And if you're interested in Bombay, I definitely recommend Suketu Mehta's "Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found":
http://amzn.to/qHKTaA
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