The ideal of the high street is a civic space where concepts and community can flourish. This issue is all about those shops and the people making it a reality.

Iran’s economic troubles have been well documented. But in the capital Tehran there is renewed hope that newly elected president Hassan Rouhani can ease Western sanctions and spark a turnaround in the failing economy.

Once considered ungovernable, Mexico City has taken its first steps to becoming a socially progressive ‘megalopolis’ – and much of the credit for that can be given to its innovative new mayor, Miguel Ángel Mancera.

The island nation of Vanuatu has had a difficult post-colonial history. Forced to watch on as surrounding Pacific nations experience a tourism boom, the country has relied on donor aid. But a new Green prime minister is determined to ring the changes.

Israel has long avoided wading into the international news environment, wary of its own global perception. Until, that is, the recent launch of i24 TV channel.

‘Real’ books make good business sense, as proved by Vancouver’s new launch The Paper Hound. The secret to challenging the hordes of electronic devices? Just take a chance and believe in a beautiful cover.

Innovative designers and visionary city planners are breathing new life into the much-mocked electric bike – today’s power-assisted two-wheelers are hand-crafted, ultra-efficient, lightweight and, most important of all, chic...

Be it a small but growing swimwear firm from Thailand or a traditional tannery in Sweden, all successful brands have a story to tell. Here we profile five companies with a variety of backgrounds but one thing in common: initiative.

George Nakashima was one of 20th-century America’s leading furniture luminaries, until his death in 1990. But far from fading into insignificance, his daughter Mira has carried on the company he founded – and, with it, the family woodwork tradition.

The fight for Hungary's skies, a high-rise revolution in Austria and election watch in Georgia, plus Sweden's integration minister talks about life after the Stockholm riots.

The motorcade of Mongolia's president (the only one in our series that's included a horse) and a boost for public transport in Jakarta and Mumbai.

The view from the campaign trail in Chile and the lowdown on elections in Argentina.

A look at the wardrobe of Western Saharan activist Aminatou Haidar and an interview with Tel Aviv election hopeful Nitzan Horowitz.

Qantas makes the interpid trip from Sydney to Santiago and New Zealand tries to fill its "pilot gap".

The Israeli Defence Forces start a five-year-plan, Indonesia starts building submarines — with a little help from its friends — and the Australian navy celebrates a big one.

We meet Indonesia's ambassador to Japan, report on Israel's new "digital embassy" and Seoul embarks on a soft-power offensive.

Mobile banking in Burma, polishing diamonds in Botswana and raising a glass to the whisky industry in Tasmania

Preparations for Frieze week – when London comes alive around the illustrious Frieze art fair (17 to 20 October) – are well under way. But it’s more than just a week spent in Regent’s Park. We meet some of the exhibitors, technicians and contemporaries who help create the bigger picture.

Gallery and auction news, a photo sale in San Diego and a Q&A with the Saatchi Gallery's director.

A bookstore in Lisbon, an arts app from Toronto and a boost for low-budget broadcaster in the US.

Music, books, films and exhibitions to watch out for, plus our culture editor's monthly musings.

New buildings, from Portugal to Australia, plus furniture, interiors and homeware.

Our tasty round-up includes fishy happenings in London and getting salty in Israel.

Canadian author Margaret Atwood is almost as well known for her relentless activism as she is for producing multiple award-winning novels – but it turns out that she is far more enthusiastic about the latter than the former.

It’s the considered and inspired extra touches of service that separate the merely good from the truly great and make bricks-and-mortar retail sing. From suit presses to gift wrapping, valets to clothes repair, Monocle attends to the best in retail hospitality and leaves with some lessons in courtesy.

As the global retail map widens, where do less talked about big spenders such as Kazakhs, Indonesians or Mexicans get their shopping fix? We catch up with the new consumers to find out.

Do Italians do it better? When it comes to retail they know when to stick to doing it the old-school way. A few generations of refinement can work wonders for a local small business, be they the green grocers, chemists or butchers.

The new breed of worker not tied to a desk is driving a change for buildings to be more than just a fixed space to house employees. Sydney is forging ahead with the trend and highlights the best in agile and creative office space.

Electric cars aren’t new to the motoring scene but they’ve always been practical rather than user-intuitive or well designed – limitations BMW has looked to tackle with its first all-electric model.

Braced on Maui’s northern coast, this eco family home stands out as a striking complement to the landscape; an iconic structure both open and resistant to the elements.

This month’s treats include some gin for your drinks cabinet, stationery for your home-office and wooden animals for the fun of it.

El Casco in the Basque country is a Spanish success story. And despite the difficult economic conditions, it has had the firepower to survive.

If you’re in Maine for any amount of time, leaving without tasting a lobster roll is tantamount to sacrilege. Pay homage at the Eventide Oyster Company…

Buying property in the centre of this Russian city will require some patience – but it’s worth it in the end.

British singer and composer Alison Goldfrapp invites us into her east London home for a feast of fish, chips and sparkling English wine.

Somalia is a failed state. But its Aden Abdulle international airport – once a no-go zone – may hold the key to its recovery.

As summer comes to a close, our editor-in-chief turns a fresh page by taking to the road across Europe and rethinking four-wheeled travel.