TV series
A look inside one of the world’s biggest startup nations - Israel, and Shenzhen, looking at how and why the city has evolved so rapidly.
Availability
Future Cities premiered June 7, 2016. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
A look inside one of the world’s biggest startup nations - Israel, and Shenzhen, looking at how and why the city has evolved so rapidly.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
In this first episode we take a glimpse into Huaqiangbei, the city's vast market district, and talk Moore’s Law and its impact on software vs hardware development before visiting HAX, the only hardware accelerator of its kind in the world. We also begin to explore the origins of this unique and vibrant city, and how it continues to be shaped.
Where to watch Future CitiesEpisode 2
In this second episode we take a look at how the Maker movement has been appropriated in a frenetic manufacturing hub like Shenzhen, before exploring how the city’s attitudes to open source hardware are so different to those of the West, and what this might mean for both sides of the argument in the near future.
Where to watch Future CitiesEpisode 3
In this third episode of our Future Cities strand, we explore how attitudes in Shenzhen about patents and intellectual property differ to those in the West. In particular, we look at how the evolution of “shanzhai” - or copycat manufacturing - has created an ecosystem that could transform traditional models of business, distribution and innovation. Although, technically, any knock-off goods can be called shanzhai, the word's meaning has recently shifted to refer to electronic goods, and episode three delves behind the scenes of this business culture.
Where to watch Future CitiesEpisode 4
In the final episode of our Future Cities strand, we examine Shenzhen’s so-called "Shanzhai" (imitation) supply chain as authoritarian governmental control and hyper-accelerated gentrification are rapidly changing the face of the city.
Where to watch Future CitiesEpisode information updated Jul 27, 2026
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