The Monocle Minute

How often do you consider the complicated journey that something takes before it lands in your life? Logistics might be the engine of the modern economy but we only tend to really talk about them when things sputter and stall.

“Don’t expect much credit if you do a great job,” said Hannes Streeck, managing director of German logistics firm Fiege, at the recent Monocle Quality of Life Conference in Munich. “That ‘last mile’ in many countries is still the Wild West.” This is certainly true of the Bavarian capital but the problem is global: cities are in gridlock as a result of the increasing crush of delivery vans, cargo bikes and couriers.

But might you and I also shoulder some responsibility for the tailbacks? Streeck thinks so. “Suddenly we all thought that we needed our toothpaste delivered within the next 10 minutes,” he said, with understandable incredulity. The inconvenient truth at the heart of the convenience economy – and our increasing appetite for near-instant delivery – is that our cities aren’t built for it. And they’re buckling.

The solution, says Streeck, requires an “external shock” and a little civic co-ordination. “We should manage cities like we do airports, with certain slot rights that companies can apply and bid for,” he said. “That way, we can develop networks with micro hubs and cargo bikes.” The industry needs to get motoring but customers might need to wait for results. While we do, it’s worth considering the true cost of the convenience that we have come to expect, which affects traffic, air quality, independent retail and the overall enjoyment of life in our cities. That means occasionally toddling to the shops for our toothpaste.

Oh, and a final question. Do you ever wonder what goes into The Monocle Minute newsletter as it arrives seamlessly at 07.00 every morning? If so, then you might have spotted today’s subtle redesign. Why did we do it? Well, let’s just say that we know the importance of a timely arrival and a neat package. We sincerely hope that the new-look Monocle Minute delivers.

Josh Fehnert is editor of Monocle. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Mexico will almost certainly elect a female president in 2024 now that two women are vying for the presidency. Former mayor of Mexico City Claudia Sheinbaum, who is affiliated with president Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party, and senator Xóchitl Gálvez of the opposition coalition were selected as the candidates for the two major electoral groups last week. It is a turn of events that could signal a changing tide in a country still grappling with machismo and increasing levels of violence against women.

In another historic first, Mexico has also decriminalised abortion in all of the country’s 31 states. Despite this, some experts argue that the news about the presidency should be taken with a grain of salt. “You can’t assume that women in Latin America will be looking after women’s rights,” Natalia Sobrevilla Perea, a professor of Latin American history at the University of Kent tells The Monocle Minute. “You can see that with the president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, and with [former president] Jeanine Áñez in Bolivia,” she adds. “Being a woman doesn’t necessarily make someone a liberal.”

South Korea’s increasing importance in the global art scene was illustrated at Seoul Art Week, which came to a close on Saturday after a flurry of fairs, pop-up art markets and late-night events across the city. The number of exhibitors at contemporary art fair Kiaf Seoul rose from 164 in 2022 to 211 this year, representing 20 countries. The fair, which held its inaugural edition in 2002, ran concurrently with the city’s architecture and urbanism biennale, Seoul Fashion Week and more. The second edition of Frieze Seoul also concluded on Saturday.

The South Korean capital’s cultural cachet has persuaded a spate of international blue-chip galleries to open outposts there in recent years. The latest is London-headquartered White Cube, which launched its venue in the city last Tuesday to coincide with Seoul Art Week. It is the gallery’s second Asian outpost, after Hong Kong. White Cube Seoul’s inaugural exhibition, The Embodied Spirit, will run until 21 December and features work by South Korea’s Lee Jinju and the UK’s Tracey Emin, among others – a clear indication that Seoul is a significant spot for artists both homegrown and international.

Tied historically and economically to both Russia and China, the young, democratic, resource-rich nation is navigating tricky terrain as it looks West. Monocle’s foreign editor visits the gridlocked capital of Ulaanbaatar to meet its prime minister and profile key players shaping life on the steppe.

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Monocle’s head of radio, Tom Edwards, introduces a very exciting new voice to The Menu. Also in the programme: our Singapore correspondent, Naomi Xu Elegant, tastes a cocktail at the renowned Atlas Bar and we hop on the ferry to Orcas Island in the US to meet the founder of Matia Kitchen, Drew Downing.