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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.

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Bicycles: hop on:

As more and more people choose to hop on a bike rather than a crammed tram, we examine the cycle revolution that is just around the corner. We see how bike tours are improving one of Johannesburg’s poorest communities, check out cycling in traffic-prone Cairo and discuss how bicycles are used in celebrations in Vancouver. Plus: a 3,500km journey across Europe.

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25822 Sep 2016
00:28:37

Bicycles: hop on: 

As more and more people choose to hop on a bike rather than a crammed tram, we examine the cycle revolution that is just around the corner. We see how bike tours are improving one of Johannesburg’s poorest communities, check out cycling in traffic-prone Cairo and discuss how bicycles are used in celebrations in Vancouver. Plus: a 3,500km journey across Europe.

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★19 Sep 2016
00:05:22

Tall Stories 24: Sint-Annatunnel: 

The ​river ​Schelde is the lifeblood of Antwerp​ but with no bridges crossing it there’s only one way to get to the other side by foot. We take a stroll down the Sint-Annatunnel.

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25715 Sep 2016
00:30:00

Beyazit, biennales and bikes: 

We catch up with the Lebanese pavilion at the London Design Biennale, check out the newly renovated Beyazit State Library in Istanbul and explore Moscow’s disappearing kiosks. Plus: the latest trends in urban cycling from Eurobike 2016.

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★12 Sep 2016
00:03:57

Tall Stories 23: Mount Pleasant Post Office: 

An underground railway, a billion letters and a good few inches of postman’s leg: we gasp at the utilitarian beauty of London’s Mount Pleasant Post Office.

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2568 Sep 2016
00:30:00

Escaping the city: 

City life can be a little full on. We find out why it feels good to get away from the concrete, the crowds and the chaos and highlight a few quiet spots in which to slow down before getting back to the bustle of our cities.

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★5 Sep 2016
00:05:08

Tall Stories 22: The Egg: 

We head to Beirut to find out about the history and uncertain future of The Egg. Is it a relic of Lebanon’s long gone golden era or a painful reminder of the civil war?

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2551 Sep 2016
00:30:00

Parades: 

We hand over the stage to the streets of our cities as we examine the impact of annual parades and ask why we flock together to watch neatly choreographed military marches and people dancing in colourful costumes.

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★29 Aug 2016
00:03:55

Tall Stories 21: the Cascade: 

In the Armenian capital of Yerevan there is one structure that draws attention like no other: the Cascade. We check out the brainchild of a group of pioneering modernist architects in the 1960s.

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25425 Aug 2016
00:30:00

Housing: 

This week we explore housing projects and how to make them work, from Sydney’s most notorious and somewhat unusual Sirius Building to Singapore’s social housing and the UK’s infamous council estates.

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★22 Aug 2016
00:03:57

Tall Stories 20: the tabaccheria sign: 

What is the secret to effective, eye-catching shop signage? In the case of the Italian tabaccheria – known for its white “T” against a dark background – consistency is key.

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25318 Aug 2016
00:30:00

Why so moody?: 

There’s a correlation between the built environment and the way we feel as an individual but how does that apply to the population as a whole? This week we assess if there’s such a thing as a “collective mood” in our urban environments and what essentially makes a city happy or sad.

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★15 Aug 2016
00:04:04

Tall Stories 19: the Brazilian kiosk: 

They might not be the most glamorous in the world but there's something thrilling to be found in the gritty grey newsstands on the streets of São Paulo.

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25211 Aug 2016
00:30:00

Water under the bridge: 

Bridges play an active role in the way in which we interact with cities and they also influence how our urban environments evolve. This week we discover how something that is meant to unite us can be divisive, from a pedestrian crossing in Adelaide to Calgary’s Peace Bridge. Plus: we ask why it has taken London so long to build a new bridge over the Thames.

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★8 Aug 2016
00:07:00

Tall Stories 18: Moscow’s Egg House: 

The architectural and urban legacy of former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov remains the subject of heated debate. While he condoned the destruction of historic buildings and streets, he also encouraged architectural experiments such as the city’s Egg House.

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2514 Aug 2016
00:30:00

DNC, World Fair and taxi sharing: 

We hear from two mayors on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention on how to better connect local authorities with state and federal government. Plus: we hitch a ride in Beirut’s taxi-sharing system and reflect on the fact that it’s been a year since the World Fair packed its bags and left Milan.

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