For Chiote, ‘libraries are like houses. and newspapers. and magazines. and music. and movies. the entire world connected, where we are with ourselves and with others. they are our memories and our legacy. they reference knowledge and leisure but also urbanity. libraries are the house where we must always return.’
In 2008, a watershed was crossed and the world saw the irreversible shift from a global majority of rural dwellers to a new army of urban residents. Mass urbanisation trends predict that the world’s urban population will double in the coming 40 years. The cities of the developing world will account for 95% of that growth. These are the megacities of the BRIC economies, the urban giants of Brazil, Russia, India and China. These people-magnets draw in rural workers with the promise of higher wages and a better quality of life, but the delicate balance between expanding population and limited physical space defines the human condition of these powerhouses.
