The Urban Frontier: Karachi Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, is growing so fast that estimates of its population range from 12 million to 18 million. The country's financial capital is also a city where about half the population lives in illegal houses. In Karachi, Morning Edition begins a series called "The Urban Frontier," about the world's expanding cities.

Special Series

The Urban Frontier: Karachi

In Karachi, Morning Edition begins an examination of the world's expanding cities.

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Pakistani Rock Star's Roots in U.S. Metal

June 6, 2008 • Musician Salman Ahmad was born in Pakistan but grew up in suburban America listening to bands like Van Halen. When his family returned to Pakistan so he could study to be a doctor, Ahmad took along his guitar. His music shocked Pakistan, and Pakistan shocked him.

Pakistani Rock Star's Roots in U.S. Metal

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Builders See Profit, Promise Along Karachi Coast

June 6, 2008 • Karachi is attracting huge investments from wealthy Persian Gulf developers whose luxury projects seem to multiply along the city's coastline. But some local builders say developers should do more to help the city's poor with housing.

Builders See Profit, Promise Along Karachi Coast

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Karachi's Growth Fuels Demand for Illegal Housing

June 5, 2008 • Karachi, Pakistan, is choked with people and getting more crowded all the time. In one of the world's largest cities, millions of people must live in houses that were built outside the law.

Karachi's Growth Fuels Demand for Illegal Housing

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Female Workers Break Stereotypes in Karachi

June 5, 2008 • In Pakistan's male-dominated society, women are increasingly breaking stereotypes — taking charge of development in the slums of Karachi and working through the government bureaucracy to get projects done.

Female Workers Break Stereotypes in Karachi

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Amid Threats, Activist Fights Karachi Development

June 4, 2008 • As big-money developers flock to Karachi, Amber Alibhai is one of the few people to openly question the development. In a city where millions of people live in poverty and clean water is often scarce, the activist asks, who needs golf courses? Alibhai's work has provoked threats against her and her family.

Amid Threats, Activist Fights Karachi Development

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Karachi Mayor Tries to Clean Up City, Politics

June 3, 2008 • The mayor of Karachi, Pakistan, is a player in a brutal political game: the fight for control of one of the world's most crowded cities. Syed Mustafa Kamal says he wants to reshape his sprawling, dirty city. He must overcome a legacy of bad government — and violence.

Karachi Mayor Tries to Clean Up City, Politics

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Two Takes on Karachi from Leading Citizens

June 3, 2008 • Karachi is one of the most-populous cities in the world, growing and changing at a breakneck pace. Two of its leading citizens — the late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's niece and a colorful newspaper columnist — offer their views of the dynamic Pakistani city.

Two Takes on Karachi from Leading Citizens

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Series Overview: The Urban Frontier — Karachi

June 2, 2008 • By the end of this year, half the world's population will live in cities, according to the U.N., and the proportion will only increase. Morning Edition begins an occasional examination of the world's cities with a series of profiles from Karachi, Pakistan's economic powerhouse.

Karachi Ambulance Driver Risks Life to Save Others

June 2, 2008 • A Karachi ambulance driver named Mohammed Nader is emblematic of the changing face of Pakistani cities. Nader came to Karachi from a rural village, got married and found a job, like many of the world's population that migrates to urban areas. But political and ethnic conflicts still threatened his life.

Karachi Ambulance Driver Risks Life to Save Others

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