I see the metropole as the magnified top of the world where each comes, takes and leaves something behind; the shape of the city is determent by the use of it inhabitants.
‘Metropolitan area’ shows a cross-section of New York and tries to expose the connections between the city and its residents. By literally laying bare the different layers of urban life, everything that takes place between the smog above the buildings and the sewers under them.
Humanity stands at a turning point in history. Just recently the majority of human beings live in cities for the first time in history. And by 2030, three-quarters of the worlds population will be living in urban areas. 
Metropolitan area is a work in progress.