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On the BBC Radio program "The Digital Human," SFI Distinguished Professor Geoffrey West helps explore the hopes and challenges of rapid urbanization.

"Most of the major challenges we face in society, everything from climate change and global warming to questions of health, pollution, disease, all are driven by the fact that the majority of people are now beginning to live in cities," says West. "On the other hand, cities are also the origin of the solutions, because they attract smart people and in particular the kind of buzz and interaction that leads to innovation, ideas, wealth creation, and so on."

The 30-minute program explores whether smart cities are the key to sustainability and whether they come with a hidden price of personal freedom.

Listen to the program on BBC Radio (October 14, 2013)

West and SFI Professor Luis Bettencourt lead the Institute's Cities, Scaling, & Sustainability project.