Kurdish teenagers beat drums and practice folk dancing at a community center situated on an old Roman road that cuts through London. A few miles down the road is East London's trendy Hoxton neighborhood where art lovers at the White Cube2 gallery gape at wax corpses, menacing wheel chairs and other wild inventions of London's "Brit Art" superstars. And still further along this ancient street, politicians in the financial district debate the construction of a skyscraper that looks like a nose-diving zeppelin.

London Facts London restaurants serve food from more than 55 countries, including Tanzania, Peru and Mongolia. (Source: London Tourist Board) The London Underground contains 392 miles of track (Source: National Statistics Office) Indians, Caribbean blacks and Africans comprise the largest "ethnic minorities" in London. (Source: National Statistics Office)

These are some of the sights and sounds of millennial London captured by American expatriate and veteran NPR reporter Michael Goldfarb in "New London - World City," an audio-documentary that airs October 12 at 8 p.m., and will be rebroadcast on October 15 at 3 p.m. Goldfarb explores various London neighborhoods to find out how Great Britain's once stodgy capital transformed itself at cosmic speed into a cultural and financial mecca.

High unemployment, decrepit buildings and polluted air were all palpable signs of the recession that ravaged London during the early 1990s. When the world economy revived, London was poised for change. Britons and foreigners flocked to London by the tens of thousands to work in banks, investment houses, hotels and creative industries. Ambitious gentrification projects turned industrial slums into posh neighborhoods. Tourism skyrocketed, from 20 million visitors in 1994 to 28 million in 1999.

London Facts 26% of the world's largest companies have their European headquarters in London. Heathrow is the world's busiest international airport, with 53 million passengers a day. London to New York is the world's busiest international air route. There are 550 foreign banks in London, more than any other city in the world. (Source: London First Centre)

Today Britain is bound economically, politically and culturally to the world in a way it never was during the Empire. Fueling the new internationalism are two recent London phenomena: vibrant immigrant communities and a booming financial sector.

Since medieval times immigrants have comprised up to 10% of London's population, but until World War II these foreigners were overwhelmingly European. In the last half-century, however, Britain has opened its doors to refugees and workers from Asia, Africa, South America and Eastern Europe. Today, nearly half of Britain's "ethnic minorities" live in London and they represent a quarter of the city's population.

London Facts More countries can be dialed direct from London than any other city in the world. More than 40% of London households own a PC. 300 languages are spoken in London. London has 45 distinct ethnic communities. London has 5,325 pubs and bars, and 12,000 restaurants. (Source: London First Centre)

In neighborhoods like Brick Lane, immigrants are challenging traditional notions of what it means to be British. Bangladeshi men pray at local mosques. Women in saris buy halal meat. New wave Indian restaurants, fashion boutiques and dance venues cater to the urban chic.

Meanwhile, London's financial district has made Britain a key player in the global economy. London has more foreign banks and exchanges more foreign currency than any other city in the world. More than a quarter of the world's largest companies have their European headquarters in London.

As immigrants, artists and entrepreneurs batter away at old London, in its place emerges a new world city.