The Urbanist | Monocle

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The Urbanist

With an influential audience of city mayors, urban planners and architects, this is Monocle’s guide to making better cities, be it new technology, state-of-the-art subways or compact apartments. Nominee in the Smartest Podcast category of the 2019 British Podcast awards.

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Tall Stories 445: Maha Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj: Geetanjali Krishna takes us to a temporary city on the banks of the Ganges river to investigate a large example of temporary urbanism brought about by a Hindu pilgrimage.

Latest episodes

EpisodeDateDescriptionDownloadPlay
10 Feb 2025
6 min

Tall Stories 445: Maha Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj 

Geetanjali Krishna takes us to a temporary city on the banks of the Ganges river to investigate a large example of temporary urbanism brought about by a Hindu pilgrimage.

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6956 Feb 2025
29 min

Cultural city planning 

We explore how keeping culture in mind when planning our cities can have effects beyond just arts-related improvements. The people behind ‘The Routledge Handbook of Urban Cultural Planning’ tell us more. Plus: we visit a treasured museum in Lima and look ahead to some cultural institutions that are set to open in 2025.

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3 Feb 2025
4 min

Tall Stories 444: Sacré-Cœur, Paris 

Carla Hyenne describes the history of Paris’s Sacré-Cœur basilica, which holds a history that many of those who visit the monument today might not be familiar with.

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69430 Jan 2025
33 min

Los Angeles wildfires and the future of the city 

We discuss the environmental causes, political response and mobility fallout surrounding the Los Angeles wildfires. We examine some of the thousands of structures lost to this catastrophic blaze that tore through many of LA’s neighbourhoods and communities.

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27 Jan 2025
4 min

Tall Stories 443: Helsinki’s canopy kiosks 

Petri Burtsoff visits his home city to see how it has revived its “canopy kiosks”, which have been a distinctive feature of the Finnish capital for a century.

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69323 Jan 2025
34 min

The World Economic Forum: cities of tomorrow 

From creating more resilient cities to how architecture can lift a community, cities hold the key to meaningful change in the world. Monocle’s Carlota Rebelo reports from The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos to find out where cities are headed next.

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20 Jan 2025
5 min

Tall Stories 442: 24 Sussex Drive, Ottawa 

Tomos Lewis ponders a potential spring clean of Canada’s official prime ministerial residence.

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69216 Jan 2025
30 min

Materials matter 

How can the materials with which we choose to build affect the economics, sustainability and resilience of our built environment? We explore the material world through a recent title about available resources, an explainer on using soil for structures and a visit to the world’s leading trade fair for architecture, materials and systems.

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13 Jan 2025
7 min

Tall Stories 441: Shuri Castle, Okinawa 

Tomás Pinheiro describes the recent renovation of one of Okinawa’s Unesco World Heritage Sites after a devastating fire in 2019, as well as the history of reconstructions that this castle has undergone. 

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6919 Jan 2025
28 min

Destinations for 2025 

We visit two destinations that should factor into your 2025 travel plans. In Portugal we assess the hospitality sector after a record year in visitor numbers, then we tune in to the sounds of Tokyo to hear what sonic attractions await you in the Japanese capital.

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6 Jan 2025
7 min

Tall Stories 440: Motel Plitvice, Zagreb 

Guy de Launey reviews an icon of Yugoslav architecture in a motorway service station just outside Zagreb.

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6902 Jan 2025
28 min

The best of ‘Tall Stories’ in 2024 

Monocle’s editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, rounds up his favourite episodes of ‘Tall Stories’ from 2024.

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68926 Dec 2024
30 min

The best of 2024 

Monocle’s editor-in-chief Andrew Tuck recalls some of his favourite interviews and reports from the year on ‘The Urbanist’.

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68819 Dec 2024
27 min

A very Urbanist Christmas 

Our holiday special brings you a collection of yuletide traditions from cities around the world. Then, we roll out another festive round of ‘The Urbanist’ quiz and give you the perfect gift idea for the urbanist in your life.

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16 Dec 2024
8 min

Tall Stories 439: Deer Valley Resort, Utah 

Jessica Bridger straps on her skis and takes us to a grand American resort whose wild, man-made landscape stuns visitors.

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