Urbanism
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Villa de Leyva
This small colonial town offers great opportunities for overseas buyers thanks to the ease and low cost of purchasing property. It is an enclave of painters, writers and drop-outs, who have flocked here.
Paradise regained
Born from socialist ideals, the appeal of the kibbutzim has faded over the years. To survive, they’ve become profit-making cooperatives, attracting Israelis back with a higher standard of living.
Observation
In London, a lack of innovative architecture stems not just from developers but from building regulators crushing creativity. On the eve of our Quality of Life Survey, Tyler Brûlé offers some solutions.
Northern IJ Bank
Canals to sail on, traditional wooden houses to choose from and a nearby creative hub are just some reasons to move to Northern IJ Bank. With planned developments, it’s an area to watch.
Lords of the skies
Brazil's government launched a crack down on Rio’s drug gangs in 2007. Now the city’s police have a new weapon: the Huey II helicopter. Monocle examines the use of military hardware in civilian battles.
Deep freeze
Russia’s boom years raised the profiles of its ‘second cities’, nowhere more so than in Ekaterinburg. But as cranes fall silent, local entrepreneurs insist the good times are not over yet.
Asia
North Korea's election (no great surprises expected), Malaysia's big river clean-up, and mixed feelings over Tokyo's plans to spruce up the Kabukicho district
Good buy to Berlin
Stray off Berlin Mitte’s well-trodden tourist route to find the charming Gipsstrasse. Full of independent shops, ateliers, galleries and cafés, it should be a template for the rest of the capital.
The Full Monte
In Montevideo, Uruguay, multinational companies are setting up shop and property is cheap. But can the city attract a new generation of global entrepreneurs to secure its future as an investment hub?
Africa/Middle East
Kenya's drink-driving crackdown, a new island in the Med and a new metro for Algiers, 40 years after its initial conception.
