New York: A Documentary Film — Season 1, Episode 9: The Future of Cities (2003–2025), Part 1

Episode synopsis

Explores the eventful history of New York across the tumultuous first two decades of the 21st century, starting in the aftermath of 9/11, as the city rebuilt and re-conceived itself on a breathtaking scale, and rose to become the supreme exemplar of a global "superstar city" in an era one scholar has called the “new urban age.” As these transformations occurred, the city would grapple with the challenges facing cities everywhere—including issues of infrastructure, governance, immigration, social justice and equity—at the same time confronting an unprecedented series of world-historic crises—political, financial, climatic and now epidemiological – each different, each existential, each global in reach, each calling on every ounce of the extraordinary resilience and creativity and individual and collective commitment the city can muster—and each, in their way, calling into question the future of cities.

About New York: A Documentary Film

This eight-part, 16½-hour television event explores New York City's rich history as the premier laboratory of modern life. A sweeping narrative covering nearly 400 years and 400 square miles, it reveals a complex and dynamic city that has played an unparalleled role in shaping the nation and reflecting its ideals.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1The Country and the City (1609–1825)
• E2Order and Disorder (1825–1865)
• E3Sunshine and Shadow (1865–1898)
• E4The Power and the People (1898–1918)
• E5Cosmopolis (1919–1931)
• E6City of Tomorrow (1929–1941)
• E7The City and the World (1945–2000)
• E8The Center of the World (1946–2003)
• E10The Future of Cities (2003–2025), Part 2