Urbanism
The secret to a long, purposeful life might be to delete the word ‘retire’ from our vocabulary
At the start of this year my brother-in-law, Phil, placed a bet with our dog Macy. I allowed this to proceed knowing that our dog had no cash of her own, so could lose…
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The artistic ‘wall dogs’ giving luxury street advertising a personal touch
Despite the rise of digital billboards, a New York-based company is increasingly in demand for its hand-painted mural advertising.
Reborn from a historic 1930s art deco bathhouse, the Rockaway Ocean Club is reclaiming the Big Apple’s beach cred
As the summers grow hotter and heatwaves persist, city administrators have turned to real-estate developer CBSK to create more spaces where New Yorkers can cool off and reconnect with the water.
Why China’s young creatives are fleeing the rat race for Dali’s slower, sunnier life
The mountain city of Dali in the multicultural province of Yunnan in southwest China has always had an independent spirit. Recent arrivals and returnees are bringing in fresh ideas and new businesses.
Live better: Behind-the-scenes snapshots of Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference in Lisbon
This year, Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference returned to Lisbon, the host city of the first event in 2015.
Meet the best dressed at Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference
Though temperatures in Lisbon rose to 37C, our delegates still came dressed to impress with sharp linen jackets and polished sandals.
Ten life lessons from finding the fun in fashion to footing a clean bill of health
Ah, Saturday morning. Looks like we made it – and in some style. As you read this, the 2026 edition of the Monocle Quality of Life Conference is in its final stages, wrapping up…
Money doesn’t grow on trees? The nursery cashing in on the world’s need for urban canopies says otherwise
As cities swelter in heatwaves of increasing ferocity and the need for climate-regulating and shadeproviding canopy cover grows clearer, urban planners and landscape architects are turning to tree services and suppliers, to import trees.
‘Buildings affect our health’: Thomas Heatherwick on how dull architecture is just as harmful as fast food
The world-renowned English designer behind Azabudai Hills and Olympia is on a mission to make buildings that better serve our wellbeing.
Live to work or work to live? New York’s hustle culture is a world away from Milan’s slower pace
This year I spent part of my summer in New York. It’s a place that’s close to my heart: I lived and worked here for six years as Monocle’s US editor, watching the country…
How the reconstruction of Lisbon’s Baixa district became a model for modern urban planning
Lisbon’s Baixa neighbourhood, ravaged by natural disasters in the 18th century, is a design lesson in reconstruction that breathes harmony and order.
