MUMBAI: How did the ancient Romans build a city of a million people without modern technology? What prevents Dubai?s super tall skyscrapers - balanced on unstable sand - from toppling over? How can San Francisco survive - sitting on the edge of a major earthquake fault? Infotainment broadcaster Discovery has announced a new hybrid engineering-geology series ?Strip The City? looks to answer these questions by pulling apart six major metropolises to expose the hidden infrastructure beneath each city?s skin and solves key mysteries surrounding their origins, geology, archaeology, engineering, weather and industry.

The six part series kicks off on 18 May and will air every Saturday at 9.00 pm. The show took two-years to make and utilises over 130 minutes of computer-generated imagery (CGI) to break down each city, layer-by-layer, to reveal a geological universe normally hidden under water, tarmac and concrete. The show uses CGI animation and expedition-driven actuality reminiscent of the movie ?Inception?.
 
Every episode will home in on six iconic features of each city, ranging from man-made weatherproof skyscrapers and vast metro systems, to natural dunes and lakes. Viewers will be taken deeper into the city, bringing to light an alien landscape of underground volcanoes, hidden rivers, subterranean cliffs, fragile fault lines, and ancient catacombs - geological wonders that play a surprising role in the shaping of these cities and lives of the people above. Hear from leading engineers and geologists as they examine the ingenious designs, innovative technologies and teams of forward thinking professionals who are instrumental in keeping each city alive and well.