♪ people live around the world. from a corrugated-iron hut, to an apartment, or even a mansion. when it comes to secururity ana sense of well-being, few things matter to us more than our own homes. but there are many different living models around the globe. join us as we headff to sout america, the u.s., and the netherlands to find out more. we statart in peru, one of souh amererica's more p populous countries, w where around d 20f people live in poverty, mostly

in the countryside. in many urban areas, rich and poor live side-by-side. in impoverished districts, people might live in wooden huts worth around $300, while their affluent neighbors snap up mansions worth $3 million. how does that affect a community? reporter: the air r here is hey wiwith dust. momost of the pepeople livingn ththese shacks h have no acceso electricity and running war.r. onhe o otheride ofof t untain, a well-to-do neighborhood with sports facilities and luxury villas. two worlds separated by a ten-kilometer long wall made of concretete and topped with bard wire. sara torres lives on the poor side. pamplona alta is situated in the outskirts of the peruvian capital, lima. the population is increasing rapidly, as more people arrive from the countryside to try their luck in the big city.

sara has lived here for 17 years. during that time, both the wall and the contrast between the two sides hahave got biggeger. sasara: it makeses people aggressive. this kind of situation shouldn't exist today. it's a form of discrimination. other people might see it differently. but for me, it's a clear separation of the poor on one side, and the rich on the other. reporter: sara runs an eatery in her neighborhood. she offers good food at a good price, something her customers appreciate. the 49-year-old earns just enough to get by. she serves meals from early morning to evening. during the day, she takes time out to go shopping and sometimes even goes home for a short rest. she lives alone now.

she says her ex-husband was violent. rapid population growth, coupled with poor-quality housing and lack of services have led to many problems. sara: there are a lot of health risks where we live. there are animal feces everywhere, which raises the risk of infectioion. there's plenty of filth and smog here. and our neighborhood is located in a valley. the air is always smoky from the garbage being burnt. lots of children have asthma, breathing problems, and digestive issues. and there's never enough water. reporter: on this side of thee wall, the stench of burning garbage is ever present. on the other side, there's a different kind of fire lit. the villas' fireplaces provide

warmth and comfort. here in the suburb of las casuarinas, life is good. for many of those on the rich side, the wall provides peace of mind. sebastian: even if it's my work that makes me successful, i believe everyone who seeks success should find it. we have to work together and give each other opportunities. in my opinion, the wall provides protection, but the door is always open, so that we can be together. reporter: several years ago, he hired victor, who lives on the other side of the wall, as home help. victor has come to terms with the divide. victor: yes, i'm one of the poor people. i'm fromom the village, and thas where i'll die. but there's no reason not to be friends with people on the other side. it's not about exclusion.

i wouldn't call it a wall of shame, like other people do. those people only wawant to hut others. repoporter: ten kilometers of barbed wire designed to keep out undesirables. city officials agreed to the wall's construction at the request of wealthy residents who hoped that it would keep crime out of their area. sebastian says it's about boosting security, not promoting discrimination. sebastian: over the years, there were always rumors that mountain thieves were entering the neighborhood. but they weren't residents of the poor neighborhood. many who live there work here with us, and we get along fine. but there were some people who tried to come over to us through the slum in order to steal. they were the catalyst for the construction of the wall. it was built for more security.

reporter: but for sara, the wall symbolizes injustice. a barrier separating peruvians from each other. it's a form of confinement she'll never accept. sara: it's sad. you can see two different kinds of lives that have been deliberately separated. from up here, you can see two different worlds. the lives ofof the rich, and te lives of the poor. it's very sad that there's a wall like this, made of cement, built to separate people.

reporter: a growing divide between rich andnd poor, coupld with increasing fearars over security. the wall separating two neighborhoods in lima is a concrete example of both. host: to own a home is the desire of nearly everyone in the world, but perhaps nowowhere me so thahan in the uninited sta. having a solid job, a car, and your own home -- t that's at te heart of the american dream. around 64% of americans own property, be it a house or a flat. and the real estate market has been booming in the sunshine statof flori, in parcular. having aome close the coast is sll the ultime goal f f countleswoululd- residen. even if it means living in a town built on not-so-solid a foundation. reporter: gloria raso tate is something of a cape coral institution.

she came to the sunshine state with her family when she was only nine years old. a home on the waterfront, their own boat outside the front door. living like millionaires, though at affordable prices. the american dream. gloria: we're selling the same dream my father was selling, quality of life. we've been doing i it for 43 yes and our office, almost 45 now, in our office, the third generation of real estate in our family. and we continue to look forward to the growth in our community. we're only half -- we're not even halfway done. reporter: sun, sea and sand. the carefree life drew speculators from around the world to the swampland here. it's hard to believe, but cape coral is america's fastest growing city. a community built on shaky ound, threreatened by rising sea levels.

no one here seems to give a hoot about the effects of climate chchange, thoughgh. nate: : i don't belilieve te climate change. i think it's nonsense. barb: they've been having hurricanes for years. so, i don't think that's really a climate change issueue. mellie: don't build a a city bew sea level? that's probably a good option. but, you know, since they've already done that, you just kinda have to deal with the consequences. reporter: american bravado. cape coral is a planned city that went straight from the drawing board to the water front. its attraction -- affofordable housg anand low taxexes. a housing estate for 1808000 sun worshipers. the regulalar hurricaneses thatr acrossss the region n don't put prospective buyers o.. despspite l the e waing signgn consnstruction herere continuess apacace. former countnty commissioner ry judah shows us what cape coral looked like before the bulldozers and backhoes arrived.

ray: their l limited or lalacf planning, wherere theyey really rerecognize that there is gonnae some 400,000 residents in cape coral someday, well, they need to start planning for more open space and to actually provide for development and growth away from the waterways, so that it doesn't put people in harm's way. reporter: it all began in the 1950's, when two s speculators snapapped up some swamplpland. uninhabitable mangrove swamps became c construction sites, wh veryry little infrasastrture.. the advertising promised paradise on earth. jim: marshes and those mangroves protected the pine flatwoods and the higher g ground behind tha. now the ocean's been invited all the way in to the center of the city. and so sea level is going to rise thrhroughout the e city,t just on the edges of it, as it would be if you didn't have the canal system. reporter: but there are

sustainable options. like babcock ranch, 40 kilometers northeast of cape coral in the florida hinterland. it's's a new project vying for buyers. protected from floods, with a more european touch, including a carefully planned downtown district. everything easily accessible, close to nature, 21st century florida. and no costs spared when it comes to marketing the impressive package. sabine: it looks great. you won'n't have to drive everywhere. you can do most things on foot -- go to the water, go shopping, get an ice cream, take the kids to school. amazing. reporter: unlike cape coral, babcock ranch has declared 90% of its land a nature reserve. it hasn't forced any of the original inhabitants out. it also hasn't altered the environment, leaving naturally evolved storm protections in place. it's the first c completely sor

powered u.s. city. that's an attractive selling point. and although still under construction, housuses survivd the massive stororm hurricane irma. donna: september 10 and september 11, 2017. thank you to the people who are building our home. we hope you and your families were out of harm's way. and we wrote that on 9/13/2017. reporter: now the avecks are settttling in. it's the first house to be finished in their future community. an architectural pearl. it feels good to be in the avant-garde. jim: be with open-minded people who are thinkingng forward and don't run from change, but embrace it. we think that's very, very important.

reporter: backck at cape coro, gloria te e insistthatat the constructionon boom is farar m over. regardless of the hurricanes that pummel florida's coasts ever more frequently and fiercely. just living in the moment. forgetting the future. though some of those with a little more cash are starting to build with bricks instead of wood, now. gloria: our limits are endless. and really, the opportunities here for businesses, for growth, for manufacturing. there's plenty of land here for everyone to come and fulfill their dream. reporter: a place in the sun. cape coral really couldn't care less about rising sea levels and storm damage. a game with high stakes. host: when it comes to finding a place to live, there's nothing like a good dose of crtitive inkiking. sothing thdutch arpretty good at.

wh about pviding aordable housing that also benefits the greaeater commununity? multigigenerational l houses e been g gaining in popopularitn rececent years. young and old livingogogether unr one e ro fostersrs sense community and bongiging in the nheherlan, theyeye taken this basic concept tththe nenext lel. reporter: the dutch town of deventer on the river ijssel has a populalation of 100,0,000, aba quararter of whichch are stude. jolieke van n der wals is s onf them. affordable housing is rare her t jojoliekhas fifinay foundd something g and is movining in today. e's excited to be part of this exrimementalrojectct. >> hellolo, everyo.. this i is your new student redent. reporter: these are some of her new housemates, who are all between 70 and 104 yea old. 0 seniors ve in this

retirement home, together with six students, one on each floor. jolilieke: at fit t i thout it s a crazidea. all l of my neighbors woulbebe elderly.y. but actually it could d be reay sociable. i'm certainly in no hurry to move into o student accocommoda. i'm sure it will be love vingng her reporter: this is jojolieke's room. instead ofof paying rentnt, shel spend d 30 hours a m month cag for her elderly housatates. ththere's not mumuch time to se inthoughgh. her first tatask starts riright awayhelpining set theheinner table. then jolkeke gets littttle leon in tact. jolieke: shallll i open thesesr you? they say thehey can do itt thememselv. and of cours t they're rhtht. i i don'have t to it.

reporter: hitting the right t ne cacan be tricky.y. it migight take a whwhile to t used t to things herere. piepe and jaans daam live right next door to joliekeke. over mornining coffee, p piepe s to hisis wife from t the newsp. the cocouple met whehen they e teenenagers. piepe: w we've been totogetherr 62 years.. reporter: and how many children do you have? jaans: three daughters. reporter: and how many grandchildren? jaans: i don't't know, i'll hae to count.. piepe: y you know how w man. jaans: no, i don't. piepe: six.

reporter: jaans' memory is failing. she has alzheir's,s, and neeees momore and more e help. that's's why piepe d decided y shouould ge up t tir home anan move in here. jaans spends a few hoursrs evey day in a spepecial therapypy gp for r those with d dementia. that takes the pressure off piepe r r a whe. it lets him relax and do the crosswsword. he likes to chat with one of the other studenent residents,s, jun mentink,k, who's livived herer fourur years now.. jurrien: what i've lrnrned is th each of t 160 r residents has a uniqique story to tell. they have different ininterest, different t ills and knonowled. and that's wt it's all abobout.

what c can the peoplple here sl do? what d do they want t om li? we havave to get away from the lly y idea that olold ople are just a burden, a t that okingg after r th coststs aortune.. reporterer: jolieke sosoon bee friendnds with yoke e erdeek, o has mild dementia. she likes to talk about the olden days a and her late e hus. jolieke:e: it gives you a totay different vi of old opople, a waof learnrning from t them. i think k that's greatat. esespecially whehen you are sl young, it can affect your olole lilife and how y you think abt older peoplele. reporter: young and old ving in harny. it's easier than you might think. host: and now we go to thailand, for our global ideas series. animal feed cultivation is a popular source of income for

many farmers here. it's about as far from organic or sustainable farming as you can get. and in places like chihiang mi province, itit's having a devastating effect on the local environment. ouour reporter florian nusch wt there to meet a man doing all he can to convince local farmers of alternatives. florian: the mae cham meat market is no place for the faint-hearted. but demand for its end product, cheap meat, is growing around the world. here in thailand, the surging appetite for meat has been accompananied by an crease in demand foror low-cost animal fe. that's a source of concern for rattapat srichanklad. he leads an initiative that promotes sustainable agriculture in chiang mai. rattapat: thailand is one of the biggesest meat exporters in te world.

of course, that pleases the government. that's why it supports the cultivation of corn used as livestock fodder. but it wouldld be better to produce food for humans. florian: for farmers, cultivating this kind of corn can seem like an attractive option. high demand for meat keeps feed prices stae. as a result, many farmers have come to relyly on it for t thr income. but growowing the sameme crop ie same place each year sucks nutrieients out of the soil. farmer somboon has been growing corn for animal feed for over a decade. but he'd actually prefer to grow other crops. in recent times, his yield has fallen. the plants rely on chemical fertilizer, but that's pricey. so much so, he's run into debt. somboon: growing corn is bebecoming more e problematic. up to now i haven't had an alternative. i haven't been trained up to do anything else and i need to take care of f my family. if someone comes a along and hes me to angege course, i'm'mll ears. florian: that's where rattapat

srichanklad comes in. he wants to persuade farmers to try out alternativeses. he t travels widelely to delives message. today he's on his way to give a workshop in a hillside village. the journey takes him past barren landscapes, a sign of the damaging impact corn crops can have on the soil. as demand grows, more and more corn is being planted. logging is against the law. but many farmers flout the regulations. rattapat: when the rainy season begins, feed corn will be planted here again. before that, they'll burn the grass. everything here will be up in flames. florian: the resulting ash functions asas a fertilizer. bubut the fires have a disasass impact o on the enviroronment.

rattapat: the fires happen once a year. smaller plants and animals don't survive. it has a d devastating effeconn biododiversity.. but the worst thing is the smog that hangs in ththair for days. florian: no matter where he goes, rattat srichchanklad's workshops are well attended. faers s can ke parart r free.. rattapat: imagine what this would look like if there were green forests around us. florian: germany's environment ministry provides s half a milln euros in fundingng to the workshops. environmental group wwf is the project's local partner. ply: we are competing with the inindustrializeded capitalist sm that is not sustainable. our solution is involving a lot of efforts, a lolot of awarene, a lot of actions to be done.

so that is the biggest challenge to make this happen. florian: this wwf project will run for another three years. organizers are hoping to reach some 200 households. the workshops provide farmers with practical help, like tips on improving irrigation. many types of crop require more water than those destined for animal feed. rattapat srichanklad explains how to use natural methods to retain more moisture. rattapat: this method allows us to slow down the movement of the stream. that a allows the surrounding ld to absorb more water. but you need to inspect and fix the e dams regularly. florian: this man has managed to make the transition. thirasak suwanno used to grow feed corn. but like others, he ended up in debt. these days, he grows organic bananas. ththirasak: the e transition s difficicult, especiaially becaue

had no money coming in duringg thatat period. but thanks to the support we got, we managed it. the bank gave us more time to pay back our debts, so i'm feeling confident. flflorian: the wwf instigated project hasn't been as much of a succccess for everyone as it's been for thirasak. but still, half of the workshop participants say they want to make the leap to more sustainable e crops. the wwf has teamed up with some local businesses to promote the project. among them, this orgrganic restaurant in chiang mai. by cutting out expensive middlemen, the farmers' products can be delivered directly to restaurants, schools, and hospitals. it's a project run on ideals and it's by no means certain a market for sustainable goods will emerge. but change could be in the air. rattapat: look at the sky. smog eveverywhere. everyonene's affected byby the environmnmental problems. we can't wait for the

government. we need to become more sustainable, in terms of production and consusumption. flororian: making sustainable prododuce irresistible to consumers. rattapat srichanklad and his team are hoping there's an appetite for it. host: who cares about the flower industry's destructive impacts? >> i i do. host: who cares s about lgbt rights in australia? >> i do. host: who cares about homeless people living on the streets of los angeles? >> i do.o. host: whwho cares thatat yor superberries a destroyinthe rainforest >> io. st: who cas about fele emempowerment inin senegal? >> i d do. alall: and that't's y i follllw

line to global3000@dw.com, or on facebook. see you next week. bye for now. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]