How a race to write books and a gadget that counts words are helping child literacy.

At the human library you borrow a person you wouldn’t usually meet for a half-hour frank conversation. The volunteers have various book titles from polyamorous to former prisoner. The aim of these face-to-face chats is to break down our assumptions and prejudices. We explore whether simple discussions can make a difference.

Repeat - first published 7 Sep 2021

Street harassment and violence against women in public spaces is a global issue. According to one survey, 84% of women in cities around the world reported being harassed on the street before the age of 17; half of respondents said they had been groped or fondled.

It’s acknowledged that intimidating, violent behaviour from men needs to stop, but what can be done to improve the safety of women and girls in cities now?

We look at initiatives that allow women to tell authorities what changes to make to the fabric of their cities to make them feel safer, plus some new technologies that might help in an emergency.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

Being a teenage mum is not easy. But innovative projects around the world are trying to help.

A young scientist has developed a white powder which gives waste soil concrete-like properties.

But the European building industry is also excited about his new, low carbon building material.

Robots that navigate sewer pipes are being used to find leaks and blockages in an ancient water system.

Lotteries aren’t just about winning money. They’re also being used to nudge people to change their behaviour.

In the UK we try out a mobile app that enters users in to a £25,000 lottery every time they pick up a piece of litter.

We see how heart patients in the US can win smaller prizes for taking their pills… and if they don’t take their medicine, are told what they could have won.

And we look at receipt lotteries, where customers are encouraged to get receipts as each one is an entry to a big monthly draw. The scheme started in Taiwan but has been replicated in a number of countries, helping governments find the businesses avoiding tax.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

La Casa de Carlota isn’t like most workplaces. The design studio, based in Barcelona, Spain, employs creatives who have intellectual disabilities, autism and schizophrenia.

Sponge cities use natural features to slow down, soak up and reuse flood water.

Meet the entrepreneurs using scrap rubber to fuel cars and make new tyres.

Each year, over a billion car tyres reach the end of their life.

They’re notoriously hard to recycle and present an environmental hazard if left to disintegrate out in the open.

But around the world, people are trying to clean up their cities by finding new uses for the mountains of rubber waste.

In Senegal, a young entrepreneur is turning them into artificial football pitches. In Zambia, an engineer is perfecting a way to turn these tyres into diesel. And in Canada, a company is making new tyres out of old ones using some very clever chemistry.