Arrival City: How the Largest Migration in History Is Reshaping Our World

A panoramic and thoroughly researched  account—at once ambitious and accessible—of the urban migrations that are reshaping our world.  What...more

A panoramic and thoroughly researched  account—at once ambitious and accessible—of the urban migrations that are reshaping our world.  What will be remembered about our century, perhaps more than anything except global warming, is the final shift of human populations from agricultural life to cities, the effects of which are being felt around the world. Arrival City gives us an on-the-ground view of this phenomenon—from Maryland to Shenzhen, from the favelas of Rio to the shanty towns of Mum­bai, from Los Angeles to Nairobi. Doug Saunders in­troduces us to the migrants themselves, and with the aid of their stories elucidates their essential part in the economic fabric. He makes clear that the cities and nations that provide citizenship and opportunity to migrants stand to benefit as the migrant class evolves into a middle class, and he explains why those that ignore these people will see increased social unrest, poverty, and religious fundamentalism. Blending intimate personal portraits with brilliant social analysis, Arrival City will change the way we think about globalization.   less