Affairs
What we gain and lose with the rise of sky gardens
Although green spaces are always a welcome addition to urban landscapes, vertical lawns can never replace real parks in the heart of cities.
Latest in Monocle Radio
Latest
Monocle’s Small Cities Index
Size isn’t everything – but the scale of a city can determine your trajectory in both business and life. Our fifth Small Cities Index puts the spotlight on 25 places around the world that…
Outward shift
Vietnam’s rapidly growing economy is becoming increasingly appealing to foreign investors, who are tempted by the dynamism of the country’s emerging middle class. Here, we explore the city at the heart of this transformation.
Pushing out the boats
With territorial disputes in the East China Sea intensifying, the Japan Coast Guard has had to rapidly evolve. We drop anchor at Ishigaki Island, where its crew police these vital waters.
Swiss urban swimming
To celebrate the release of our new book, “Swim & Sun: A Monocle Guide”, we spend the day at swim club Flussbad Oberer Letten in Zürich. Bathers of every age come here to strip…
Pushing the boundary
Tied both historically and economically to Russia and China, democratic Mongolia is navigating tricky terrain as it looks West.
How a school in deepest Alabama is using architecture and civic smarts to revive rural America
In rural Alabama, a university architecture programme is rebuilding the civic infrastructure of long-neglected towns, one project at a time.
London: a runner’s perspective
Traffic-clogged and polluted London may not seem like a runner’s paradise. But there’s more to the city’s offerings than first meets the eye, with its windy streets, architectural variety and abundant greenery. We followed…
Design tours: The world’s best public housing?
The world is urbanising fast. But how do you accommodate people in cities in a way that offers dignity, affordability and a sense of community? Vienna may have a solution.
Meet Europe’s first chief heat officer
Athens is the hottest capital city in mainland Europe and temperatures continue to rise. That’s why Eleni Myrivili was appointed as the city’s – and continent’s – first chief heat officer last summer. We…
Swimming in the Seine
As Paris embarks on a project to clean up the Seine ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, we look at the process of readying the city’s river for its water-seeking dwellers, explore how it…
