The Monocle Minute

The UK government is falling woefully short of its house-building targets, which recently hit the lowest level in almost a decade despite cross-party urgency. The country needs new homes – about 1.5 million over the next five years. How to get them is less clear-cut as borrowing costs soar, consumer confidence slumps and materials and labour remain expensive.

The UK isn’t alone in its housing struggle and the problem is, well, building. According to UN-­Habitat, the world needs to create 96,000 affordable homes every day to accommodate the three billion people who will need access to adequate housing by 2030. And that’s before I push you, dear reader, to imagine a world where architecture, planning and engineering might conspire to create something more than merely “adequate”. What happened to thinking of buildings in terms of beauty, scale and what they can offer residents, rather than just as shelter?

Buildings should be constructive, adding value to residents’ lives as well as to the firms behind them. Sadly, even cutting-edge developments, ambitious new neighbourhoods and loudly touted infrastructure projects can lose their lustre when the hoardings fall and ideas are exposed to the complexities and mess of ever-changing urban life. Bright renders can quickly give way to windswept, overcast reality.

Luckily, Monocle’s sunny, out-now March issue might offer a glimpse of what firmer foundations for a better-built world might look like. In our perfectly proportioned Property Survey, we report from Tempe, Arizona, where a car-free development shows life beyond the brochure and residents are more important than roads. Surely an avenue worth considering? As is creating streets that connect communities and promote interactions on a human scale.

There are other questions to ask about the sort of structures flying up in Singapore, San Francisco and beyond. Do people ever really feel at home in tall towers? What do we risk by hastily building over green spaces or near flood plains to hit targets? What sorts of houses, offices and areas tend to last and charm people for generations? There might be some penthouse apartments in the mix but most homes need some connection with the street below. Victorian terraces, lemon-hued Haussmannian blocks and New York brownstones still seem better on scale and charm than characterless blocks of glass and steel. As methods of manufacturing sustainable materials improve, we still have lessons to learn about turning houses into homes that will appeal for generations.

As well as big interviews, global reporting and long reads, the latest print edition, like a thought-through development, also offers a view: that buildings and the spaces between them can shape lives and forge communities. So here’s the home truth: twinkly renders are one thing but success in reality can be rather different.

Josh Fehnert is Monocle’s editor. Buy the March edition or subscribe so that you never miss an issue.

Though it might look like it, not everyone in Brazil will be dancing on the streets this week – sparkles don’t suit us all (writes Fernando Augusto Pacheco). But many of those who won’t be participating in Carnival, which begins on Friday, will be watching it on TV. Brazilians take the festival’s coverage seriously. Globo, the country’s main broadcaster, traditionally airs live broadcasts of the samba parades in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with reporters and experts on hand to discuss the intricacies of the big party. Last year, however, it received criticism for giving online influencers airtime as commentators. The condemnation was swift, with viewers complaining that the new “experts” didn’t know the names of some of the samba schools – the horror!

Luckily, this time, the network seems to be prioritising those in the know again. Viewers will be able to count on the informed opinions of trusty host and Carnival lover Milton Cunha, among others. While the festival might be a flamboyant affair, it’s a quintessential Brazilian tradition. The return of dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable commentators to cover it is welcome.

Turin’s oldest bookshop, Libreria Internazionale Luxemburg, recently inaugurated its expanded premises in the Galleria Subalpina, an elegant 19th-century shopping arcade in the city’s historic centre (writes Sonia Zhuravlyova). Its interiors have been handsomely designed by Turin-based studio BRH+, which added a small café serving coffee, light snacks and aperitivo.

Founded in 1872 under the name Libreria Beuf, the independent bookshop has played an important role in Turin’s literary scene. It was one of the first to stock foreign-language books and has a wide selection of LGBT+ works. Its shelves are stacked with arts and culture titles; you’ll also find one of the best international newsstands in Italy. The latest iteration – conceived in wood and marble, with design brand Mutina contributing ceramic surfaces and handcrafted objects – is a lesson in how to respect heritage while bringing a beloved space into the 21st century. BRH+ also redesigned the bookshop’s visual identity, updating its logotype but retaining its iconic owl mascot. At a time when independent bookshops are struggling to stay open, it’s heartening to see this historic establishment begin a new chapter.

The 97th Academy Awards will be held this Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. While the stage is being set, The Monocle Minute caught up with Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to talk about the business of running the Oscars.

What is the role of the Academy Awards today?
Unlike some award shows in the US, the Oscars have a global footprint and it’s becoming increasingly international. The world is making and watching movies more than ever and awards can centre those efforts. In the lead-up to the Oscars, so many people discuss who they want to win, who should be nominated – it really invites the world to have a conversation about cinema.

The streaming platforms present a huge challenge for film studios. Where are we headed?
It’s important to think about all of this within the context of the film industry’s history. There have been technological shifts and disruptions from the beginning: we went from silent films to talkies, from black and white to colour. Then there was the creation of cable TV and now streaming and AI. People might be creating and watching movies in different ways but we are as relevant as ever. That said, there’s nothing like sitting in a cinema. You can’t replicate proper projection and sound.

Los Angeles has had a very difficult year with the wildfires. Will you reflect on that in the ceremony?
The city has been a home for movie making and creative visionaries for more than a century. We will have a moment to honour the strength and resilience of Los Angeles on the show. It’s going to be beautiful – as will the city’s revival.

For the full interview with Bill Kramer, tune in to‘The Monocle Weekly’.

We’re heading to Madrid to wander through one of the Spanish capital’s most delectable open secrets. Hidden in plain sight in the city centre, the Mostenses Municipal Market has been overlooked by local authorities for years. But this has created a ripe opportunity for diaspora communities from Asia and Latin America to eagerly snap up once-ailing stalls. Mixing entrepreneurial flair with a melting pot of exotic ingredients, the market is now a sizzling array of mini-eateries featuring flavours from Peru, Ecuador and China.