Affairs
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Civic slickers
The right mayor can reinvent and rejuvenate a city by boosting infrastructure, speeding integration and fostering the arts. For our cities special, we profile 10 of the freshest movers and shakers in urban politics.
The perfect fit
Big supermarkets are banned, independent businesses abound and there’s a human scale on the shop floor. All of this makes Paris Europe’s retail capital.
The buzz driver
Kajima, one of Japan’s largest engineering firms, is at the forefront of urban biodiversity. We meet Yoriyuki Yamada, the man who sees the future in the birds and the bees.
Five urban escapes
Cities from Tokyo to Turin work because when you you really need to get away, they have rural, beach or mountain retreats on the doorstep. Here are five urbanite playgrounds.
Expo 35: Beirut
International architecture firms and boutique hotels are catching on to Beirut, the friendliest and most vibrant city in the Middle East. Discover a metropolis whose charm means it remains an exceptional place to live.
Neighbourhood Watch
From Dutch bread-making philanthropists to a pioneering food co-op in the heart of London, vernacular retail is thriving. Even an established supermarket giant is getting in on the local act.
Finnish beginning
Helsinki, the World Design Capital for 2012, is having a design renaissance. Officials, academics and designers are inspired to prove it isn’t stuck in the shade of its mid-century heritage.
Gehl force
Celebrated Danish architect Jan Gehl believes focusing city infrastructure on inhabitants' needs, not cars and concrete, improves quality of life. He advocates for a people-first approach to urban planning worldwide.
Go up market
Monocle meets the two visionaries who have shown that the fortunes of an entire neighbourhood can be transformed simply by setting up a weekly market selling local produce.
Hula hopes
Honolulu, our top-ranking US city for the third year running, wants to shed its honeymoon hotspot image. The film industry, renewable energy and agriculture are helping transform it into a new Pacific power.
