ENVIRONMENTALLY INVOLVED. We are just part of it.

 

PART 1. URBAN VERSUS RURAL. 

Watch the video. Learn new words and expressions about city or country life. Then discuss. 

What is your own experience like? 

Do you live in the city or in the country? Have you ever had the other  experience? 

Would you ever like to go and live in the country?

What are the advantages or the problems of each option?

What do you think of big cities?

Would you ever like to live in a city such as New York, London or Paris? 

But there are other world MEGA CITIES which are not so well known. See this short documentary on Calcutta.

 What do you know of it? 

Pre-view. Show some random images from the video and invite the students to speak out their impressions. Is Calcutta what you had in mind as a big city? Can it compare to New York? Why?

Now watch and jot down some of the words or expressions you hear. At the end of the documentary the teacher will ask you about your words. You will then write them all down on the board

 

Here you have a map of the World's megacities. Choose one which is not in Europe or North America and prepare a presentation. 

- You can help your speech with a simple power point.

- Remember to include anecdotes. 

   

LA ESPAÑA VACÍA  versus LA ESPAÑA VADIADA.

    The world is becoming more and more URBAN. People leave the country for a better life in urban areas. This brings about new problems. Some cities are overpopulated and not everybody seems to find and easy life in them. On the other side, some extensive rural areas have been abandoned. Some years ago, Sergio del Molino published a book called "La España vacía." The term evolved in time to "La España vaciada", which expresses better the intention of making of Madrid a Mega City. For some,  the new word "vaciada" expresses better the fact that there was a political and economic intention. The change was produced under the economic and political phenomenon of PROGRESS and MODERNITY. "Empty" is the picture of the moment. "Emptied" conveys the idea of an action performed by sombody or by something. "Empty" seems to be a fact that requires little action and no change. "Emptied" implies that there should be a political action to change a discomforting situation.

    The side effects are obvious: Madrid as a central, overpopulated, powerful and influencial city sorrounded by the empty land of what has been called the Spanish Laponia. Five rural regions that make up 53% of Spain now have only 15% of its population.