Amsterdam, the “Venice of the North”, has been repeatedly reshaped by engineers using dunes, dykes, polders and colossal dams to shield the city from the North Sea and river floods. As climate change accelerates sea-level rise, this nation with a quarter of its land below sea level faces mounting pressure.
How is Amsterdam preparing for the challenges ahead, and will centuries-old innovations be enough to keep danger at bay? This investigation reveals how the Dutch continue to invest, test and rebuild, constantly reinventing their land and, in their own way, the planet’s future.
Documentary: Cities Under Threat - Amsterdam (00:00:04)
Director: Marion Vaqué-Marti
Production: ZED (2020)
New York, symbol of American power, is under threat. Built on a mosaic of islands barely above sea level and open to the Atlantic, the city now faces catastrophic floods driven by global warming. By the end of the century, sea levels could rise by 2 meters every 5 years and a devastating hurricane may strike. Already, 400,000 New Yorkers live in endangered zones.
To protect the city, engineers are developing remarkable solutions, including a vast flood wall around Manhattan. This is the extraordinary story of a city that may one day be destroyed by what once shaped it: water.
Documentary: Cities Under Threat - New-York (00:49:17)
Director: Juliette Desbois
Production: ZED (2020)
With 37.7 million inhabitants, Tokyo is the world’s largest urban zone. Nearly 80% of the Japanese population lives in cities, and urban expansion has reached levels unmatched in Europe. The capital stands out for its mix of architectural styles and a constantly shifting skyline. Built on a fault line and exposed to floods and active volcanoes, Tokyo seems destined to vanish, yet new construction projects continue to multiply. Drawing on lessons from past disasters, architects have created a hidden “city” beneath the surface to confront earthquakes and flooding. As an experimental hub of modern architecture and innovation, Tokyo now prepares for the feared “Big One” expected within the next 30 years.
What will the city become in the 21st century and which techniques could prevent the worst? Historians, architects and engineers unveil the ambitious projects designed to protect this singular metropolis.
Documentary: Cities Under Threat - Tokyo (01:34:48)
Director: Thomas Risch
Production: ZED (2020)
Venice is one of Italy’s most visited cities, drawing crowds eager to see its canals, St Mark’s Square, the Doges Palace and the Rialto Bridge. Thousands of cruise-ship passengers stop for only a few hours, just long enough for photos, a gondola ride and souvenirs, often leaving disappointed at not finding the romantic Venice they imagined. But Venetians themselves suffer most from mass tourism. The constant influx makes residents feel dispossessed of a city that now resembles a theme park. Pollution, congestion at the city’s entrances, hazardous boat traffic on the Grand Canal and noise have made daily life increasingly difficult. In the past fifty years, Venice has lost about 50,000 inhabitants.
This documentary explores the heart of a problem many experts believe will worsen. At this pace, the city could soon empty of its population. What is daily life like for those who remain, and what price must be paid to save Venice from the economic, environmental and social crisis looming over it?
Documentary: Cities Under Threat - Venice (02:21:45)
Director: Barbara Necek
Production: ZED (2020)
#documentary #freedocumentary #slicedocumentary #documentaries #ecology #earth #environment #sustainability #climatechange #megacities #floodrisk #sealevelrise #urbanengineering #resilience #infrastructure #coastaldefense #extremeweather #futurecities #engineeringmarvels #urbanrisk #naturaldisasters #citysurvival