They are complex, multi-layered and rapidly changing: the world's megacities. In the 1970s, the United Nations coined the term "megacity" to describe urban areas with at least 8 million inhabitants. In the 1990s, this threshold was raised to 10 million, and the start of the 21st century saw the beginning of the "urban millennium."

Already today, more than half of the world's population lives in cities; by the year 2050, this number is expected to rise to 75 percent.

Why do some cities become megacities, but not others? Especially "global cities" such as Shanghai, New York and Mumbai will increasingly fulfill their dynamic role of controlling and steering global economic processes and socio-cultural transformation. Do cities of over a million inhabitants serve as engines of development and symbols of economic, cultural and social progress and innovation? Or are they rather places of refuge for rural migrants, synonymous with social inequality, traffic collapse, environmental destruction, and crime?

The panelists - experts from a variety of disciplines - discussed global trends that result from increasing urbanization and examined the limits of urban growth.

The panel discussion was co-organized by the BMW Stiftung Herbert Quandt and BMW Welt.

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