people live around the world. from a corrugated-iron hut, to an apartment, or even a mansion. when it comes to security and a 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 head off tsouth america, the u.s., and the netherlands to find out more. we start in peru, one of south america's more populous countries, where around 20% of 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 here is heavy with dust. most of the people living in these shacks have no access to ectricity d running ter. onhe other se of the mounin, a well-to-do neighborhood with sports facilities and luxury villas. two worlds separated by a ten-kilometer long wall made of corete and topped with barbed 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 have got bigger. sara: it makes 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 infection. 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 the 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 from the village, and that's 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 want to hurt others. reporter: 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 of the rich, and the 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 and poor, coupled with increasing fears 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 nowhere more so than in the united states. having a solid job, a car, and your own home -- that's at the 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 ate of frida, inarticula havi a home ose to theoast is stillhe ultimate al for countls would- 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 it for 43 years 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 groundthreatened by rising sea levels.

no one here seems to give a hoot about the effects of climate change, though. nate: i don't believe the 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 issue. mellie: don't build a city below 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 -- affordable housing and lotaxes. a housing estate for 180,000 s wohipers. the regular hurricanes that tear across the region don't put prospeive buyersff. despite althe warninsigns, construction here continues apace. former county commissioner ray judah shows us what cape coral looked like before the bulldozers and backhoes arrived.

ray: their limited or lack of planning, where they really recognize that there is gonna be 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 speculators snapped up some swampland. uninhabitable mangrove swamps beme construction sites, with very little infrastructure. the advertising promised paradise on earth. jim: marshes and those mangroves protected the pine flatwoods and the hier ground behind that. now the ocean's been invited all the way in to the center of the city. and so sea level is going to rise throughout the city, not 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 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'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 completely solar

powered u.s. city. that's an attractive selling point. and although still under construction, houses survived the massive storm 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 settling 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 thinking forward and don't run from change, but embrace it. we think that's very, very important.

reporter: back at cape coral, gloriaate insistthat the construction boom is far from 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 gd dose of eative inking. somethg the duh are prty go at.

what aut proving afforble housing that also benefits the greater community? multigenerational houses have been gaining in popularity in recent years. young d old livi together undeone roof fters a sen of commuty and bonging. inhe netheands, th've ken this bic concepto the next lev. reporter: the dutch town of deventer on the river ijssel has a population of 100,000, about a quarter of which are students. jolieke van der wals is one of them. affoable housi is rare he, t jolieke s finally und something and is moving in today. she's cited to bpart of th exrimental pject. >> hello, everyone. is is your new student resident reporter: these are some of her new housemates, who are all between 70 and 104 years old 160 seors live ithis

retirement home, together with six students, one on each floor. jolieke: at first i thght it was a cry idea. all of my neighbors wod be elrly. but actually it could be really sociable. i'm certainly in no hurry to move into student accommodation. i'm sure iwill be loly ving here. rerter: thiss jolieke's room. instead of paying rent, she will spend 30 hours a month caring for heelderly hoemates. there's not much time to settle in, ough. her first task starts right away, lping to s the dinne table. then jieke gets little lessonn tact. jolie: shall i open these for you? they say they can do it themselves. and of coue, they' right. i don't ve to do i

reporter: tting the ght note can be tricky. it might take a while to get used to things here. piepe and jaans daam live right next door to jolieke. over morning coffee, piepe reads to his wife from the newspaper. the couple met when they were teenagers. piepe: we've been together for 62 years. reporter: and how many children do you have? jaans: three daughters. reporter: and how many grandchildren? jaans: i don't know, i'll have to count. piepe: you know how many. jaans: no, i don't. piepe: six.

reporter: jaans' memory is failing. she has alzheimer's, a needs more and more help. that's why piepe decided they should givup their he and mo in here. jaans ends a fewours every day in a special therapy group for those with dementia. that takes the pressure off piepfor a whil it lets him relax and do the crossword. he likes to chat wh one of t other student residents, jurrien mentink, who's lived here for four years now. jurrie what i'veearned is that each of the60 residen has unique story to tell. they have different interests, different skills a knowledge. and that's what it's a about.

what can the people here still do? what do they want from life? we have to get away fromhe silly idea tt old people are ju a burden,nd that oking after themosts a forne. reporter: jolieke soon became friends with yoke keerdeek, who has mild dementia. she likes to talk about the olden days and her late husband. jolieke: it gives you a totally differenview of olpeople, way learninfrom them. i think that's great. especially when you are still ung, it caaffect youwhole life and how you think about older people. porter: yog 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 chiang mai province, it's having a devastating effect on the local environment. our reporter florian nusch went 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 acmpanied by an increasen demand for low-cost animal feed. 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 biggest meat exporters ithe world.

of course, that pleases the government. that's why it supports the cultivation of corn used as livestock fodder. but itould 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 pres stable. as a result, many farmers have come to rely on it for their income. but growing the same crop in the same place each year sucks nutrients 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 becoming more 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 my family. if someone comes along and helps me to ange coue, i'm all ears. florian: that's where rattapat

srichanklad comes in. he wants to persuade farmers to try out alternatives. he travels widely to deliver his 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 as a fertilizer. but the fires have a disastrous impact on the environment.

rattapat: the fires happen once a year. smaller plants and animals don't survive. it has a devastating efft on biodiverty. but the worst thing is the smog that hangsn the air for ys. florian: no matter where he goes, rattapatrichanklad's woshops are ll attende faers can ta part for ee. rattapat: imagine what this would look like if there were green forests around us. florian: germany's environment ministry provides half a million euros in funding to the workshops. environmental group wwf is the project's local partner. ply: we are competing with the industrialized capitalist system that is not sustainable. our solution is involving a lot of effortsa lot of awareness, 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 allows the surrounding land to absorb more water. but you need to inspect and fix the 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. thirasak: the transition was difficult, especially because we

had no money coming in during that 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. florian: the wwf instigated project hasn't been as much of a success 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 crops. the wwf has teamed up with some local businesses to promote the project. among them, this organic 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 everywhere. evyone's affected by the environmental problems. we can't wait for the

government. we need to become more sustainable, in terms of production and consumption. florian: making sustainable produce 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 do. host: who cares about lgbt rights in australia? >> i do. host: who cares about homeless people living on the streets of los angeles? >> i do. host: who cares that your superberries are desoying the rainrest? >> i do. host: o cares abt female empowerment in senegal? >> i do. all: and that's why i follow dw

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]

narrator: on this episode of "earth focus," two cities-- freetown, sierra leone, and san francisco, california--

continents apart, vastly different culturally and economically, yet facing the same struggle to adapt to rapid urbanization, all set against the backdrop of a dramatically hanging clate. [film advance clicking]