New York City sinking four millimetres a year

 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdkF_LRIigw

Scientists say New York City is sinking by up to four millimetres a year under the weight of all its skyscrapers. A team of geophysicists from the United States Geological Survey calculated that there are 1,084,954 buildings in the city, weighing around 764 billion kilograms. This weight does not include fixtures and fittings in buildings, the transport infrastructure, or the weight of the city's 8.5 million inhabitants. Lead researcher Dr Tom Parsons said the gradual subsidence, coupled with rising sea levels, could make New York prone to natural disasters. He warned that "every additional high-rise building could contribute to future flood risk," especially along coastal and riverfront areas.

The researchers compared what is happening to New York to the problems Venice and Jakarta are having. Venice is experiencing more floods despite the construction of a $5.3 billion system of sea walls. Indonesia is building a new capital city from scratch because Jakarta is sinking. The United Nations has forecast that 70 per cent of the world's population will inhabit cities by 2050. Parsons said: "When you build a city and it gets full of people, you end up with subsidence." He warned that New York City was "emblematic of a place that people migrate to and that obviously has a high concentration of construction." Increasing urbanisation will exacerbate problems for cities.

1. COUNTRYSIDE: Students A strongly believe people should be moving out of cities to live in the countryside; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
2. CITY PROBLEMS: How big are these city problems? How can we deal with them? Complete this table.

	How Big?	Solutions
Subsidence
Overpopulation
Homelessness
High rents
Traffic jams
Pollution

 

3.Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

1.	skyscraper	a.	The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for a town, city or country.
2.	geophysicist	b.	Relating to the study of the earth's physical structure and substance.
3.	geological	c.	Someone who studies the physics of the earth.
4.	fixtures and fittings	d.	Likely or liable to suffer from, do, or experience something unpleasant or regrettable.
5.	infrastructure	e.	A very tall building of many storeys.
6.	subsidence	f.	Things that are attached to a house and equipment needed to make a house a home.
7.	prone	g.	The gradual sinking of an area of land.

    Paragraph 2

8.	floods	h.	From the very beginning.
9.	from scratch	i.	Of a person moving to a new area or country in order to find work or better living conditions.
10.	inhabit	j.	The process of making an area into a town or city.
11.	emblematic	k.	Of a person, animal, or group living in a place or environment.
12.	migrate	l.	The relative amount of a particular substance contained within a solution or mixture or in a particular volume of space.
13.	concentration	m.	Serving as a symbol of a particular quality or concept; symbolic.
14.	urbanisation	n.	Overflows of large amounts of water beyond its normal limits, especially over what is normally dry land.

 

4. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1. weight
2. fittings
3. inhabitants
4. gradual
5. contribute
6. from scratch
7. forecast
8. emblematic
9. migrate
10. exacerbate

1. residents
2. from the beginning
3. slow
4. relocate
5. mass
6. worsen
7. typical
8. furnishings
9. play a part in
10. predict

5.Role play

Role  A – New York You think New York is the world's best city. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their cities. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why):

Role  B – Tokyo You think Tokyo is the world's best city. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their cities. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why):

Role  C – Cairo You think Cairo is the world's best city. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their cities. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why):

Role  D – Sydney You think Sydney is the world's best city. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their cities. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why):  Role E- Paris Role F- L.A. Role G-London Role H-  Miami  Role I- Madrid Role J-Barcelona Role K- Malaga Role M- Badalona

6.Discussion - New York City

1. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'city'?
2. What do you know about New York City?
3. What problems might a sinking city experience?
4. What do you think of the New York City skyline?
5. What are the good and bad things about skyscrapers?
6. Are cities becoming too big?
7. Why do you think New York is nicknamed 'the Big Apple"?
8. Is New York the world's greatest city?
9. What makes cities in your country prone to natural disasters?

11. Should New Yorkers be worried about their city sinking?
12. How do you feel about Venice sinking?
13. Should people move from cities into the countryside?
14. Why are cities so attractive for people from the countryside?
15. Would you like to live in New York City?
16. How can city planners and engineers stop New York sinking?
17. What questions would you like to ask the geophysicists?