Visualizing the Global City

There is no doubt about it: Our world is changing. Oftentimes it is difficult to understand the intensity of these changes, how our decisions affect us, or have a proper sense of scale. Thankfully, there are many people on this planet who are talented enough to break it down for us visually-- and at times with an interactive edge. Below are three examples of great graphics and interactive maps that give us some insight into the global shifts that are happening as the culmination of billions of separate decisions every single day. 

An Urbanizing World, By the Numbers

Image via Next City

This set of infographics published in Next City detail just where our populations exist in BRIC countries and the United States. The image above covers the percentage of each population that lives in urban areas, while an additional graphic on the site details the percentage of the total world population held by each of these countries. 

Global MetroMonitor

Brookings Institute released this interactive map in November of 2012. It covers a set of metrics exploring economic growth data for the largest 300 metropolitan economies worldwide for three periods: 2011-2012, 2007-2011, and 1993-2007-- covering a wide range of volatility and stability in the world economy. It also provides a series of basic economic information for each of the metro regions. 

If the World's Population Lived Like... 

Image via Per Square Mile

Have you ever wondered how big a city would be if the entire world's population lived within its borders? Now you can. Per Square Mile put together a series of infographics exploring this idea based on the densities of different cities around the globe. The one above explores some of the denser cities, while an additional graphic on their page explores densities that would span over 4 times the land available on the globe.