Skip to Content
MIT Technology Review
  • Featured
  • Topics
  • Newsletters
  • Events
  • Podcasts
    • Sign in
    Humans and technology

    These drone photos show urban inequality around the world

    From Mumbai, to Silicon Valley, to Long Beach, California, this drone photography project illuminates scars in the urban fabric.

    Parts of Mumbai are among the mostly densely populated areas on the planet. In some places, more than a million people live in less than one square mile. Tightly packed buildings, largely made of gray concrete covered with blue tarps, protect against the monsoon rains.
    Parts of Mumbai are among the mostly densely populated areas on the planet. In some places, more than a million people live in less than one square mile. Tightly packed buildings, largely made of gray concrete covered with blue tarps, protect against the monsoon rains.Johnny Miller / Unequal Scenes
    April 28, 2021

    The Moinho favela in central São Paulo is sandwiched between an overpass and railroad tracks. It has no public water, electricity, or sanitation.
    On the eastern side of False Bay, in suburban Cape Town, South Africa, a prosperous beachside neighborhood, the Strand (right) is set off from subsidized government housing in Nomzamo (left) by rows of informal settlements (center).
    JOHNNY MILLER
    With more than 2 billion users, Facebook has built a global empire of wealth and influence. A homeless encampment sits in the shadow of its headquarters in Menlo Park, California.
    In northwest Long Beach, California, houses abut storage tanks used by the many oil refineries in the area.
    A pawn shop on Minnehana Avenue in Minneapolis was destroyed by fire during the unrest following the killing of George Floyd.

    This area of the Sante Fe neighborhood of Mexico City contains barriers and walls to separate two communities neatly and discreetly. Another way to see this is to enable street view on Google maps, and look at the available roads leading into and out of an area of exclusion.

    These images are part of “Unequal Scenes,” a drone photography project intended to illuminate scars in the urban fabric. More images from this project can be found on the Unequal Scenes site or on Instagram.

    Deep Dive

    Humans and technology

    This couple just got married in the Taco Bell metaverse

    The future of virtual weddings is shiny, tacky… and sponsored.

    Digital technology: The backbone of a net-zero emissions future

    Organizations need to focus on accelerated digitalization to help decarbonization and emissions reduction, and to drive innovation.

    Why the definition of design might need a change

    When we unpack its current meaning, we may find that we want—and need—to retool the word yet again.

    Weight-loss injections have taken over the internet. But what does this mean for people IRL?

    Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Ozempic are viral TikTok sensations. But the societal impact can’t be measured in views.

    Stay connected

    Illustration by Rose Wong

    Get the latest updates from
    MIT Technology Review

    Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

    Thank you for submitting your email!

    Explore more newsletters

    It looks like something went wrong.

    We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.