Urbanism
Page 117
Europe
France's blogging love affair, plus a green oasis in Spain and our Q&A with the Mayor of Berlin.
Urban manifesto
What makes a city liveable? Monocle looks beyond recycling bins and congestion charges to consider tolerance, punctual transit, sunshine and the ability to get a drink in the wee hours.
50 things to improve your life
In search of a new architect, a perfect flat white or a vehicle to whisk you to Berlin? Monocle’s editors have come up with our first annual list of guaranteed life improvements.
Drugs, guns and nice sofas
In Herat, elaborate palaces are being built by businessmen who have made fortunes from post-war opportunities. A mix of foreign influences, the houses have created a new school of design: Narcotecture.
Missing Persons
Villages across Europe are being abandoned as people move to cities. Spain knows this problem well: its Soria region has 492 empty villages. Can the country’s ghost towns ever be reborn?
Breaking China
As investors look beyond China’s eastern cities, the wealth of opportunity and resources in the remote western region means the city of Urumqi is about to take centre stage.
Build me Hong Kong
To counter competition from China, South Korea plans to build new cities to rival Hong Kong and Singapore as hubs for hi-tech services and tourism. But can the ambitious nation pull it off?
Into Africa
Once feared as a den of chaos, Tangier now lures European investors with cheap labour, tax breaks and proximity, transforming a hippie haunt into a thriving business gateway.
