16 October 2014
Episode 157
52 minutes
From ridding ourselves of cars and making sure every last takeaway cup is recycled to simply avoiding chaos, we explore the ideas of those addressing the future of our cities.
16 October 2014
Share episode
DownloadWant more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle's email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
The Urbanist - latest episodes
Spotlight on Aarhus
We joined the Academy of Urbanism’s 2017 Congress to report from Denmark’s second city of Aarhus, on everything from its waterfront development to participatory urbanism and lessons for other cities. Plus: a special inte…
Tall Stories 74: Moscow’s city day
Moscow's City Day took place earlier this month, as the Russian capital celebrated its 870th anniversary – and city hall made use of a good opportunity to impress.
Urban challenges
We speak to the co-author of ‘The Public Wealth of Cities’ to find out about boosting prosperity in our urban centres. Plus: we head to East London to discover a rooftop dwelling disguised as a warehouse air duct.
Tall Stories 73: Toll houses
Above the hustle and bustle of London’s city life you’ll find a little toll house, which back in the 1700s marked the entrance to the Bishop of London’s estate. We profile these little bastions of resistance.
After Harvey
When Hurricane Harvey struck Houston, no one could have predicted the level of destruction it caused. As floodwaters retreat and rubble is lifted, we shine the spotlight on this city and the way urban areas can start to…
Tall Stories 72: Luma Arles
We visit the Luma Arles creative-arts hub. Made up of former railway warehouses, the site will soon welcome a new architectural feature – a 56-metre tall tower designed by architect Frank Gehry. We check out the view.
Rule-breakers
On what side of the law does your city stand? There are still a few fugitives around, allowing what many other metropolises banned a long time ago: from public nudity to smoking indoors and even a little afternoon dip to…
Tall Stories 71: London’s lidos
London boasts almost 20 outdoor swimming pools, mostly built around the 1930s. This week we hear the story of London’s famed lidos.
By the water
The sea conquers the land: we hear how politics around the Suez Canal has propelled Egypt to the world stage, how Vienna solved its flood problem with the help of engineering and examine the heritage of fascism along the…
Tall Stories 70: Vienna’s house names
In the Austrian capital buildings don’t just have addresses but names too – but do you ever hear people use them? This week we examine the great tradition of the Viennese house name.
Land reclamation and prizes
What are the logistical aspects of creating land? We discover the Netherlands’ approach to land reclamation and examine the rise and fall of London’s Garden Bridge. Plus: in Austria even terrible, awful, unplanned archit…
Tall Stories 69: Bijlmerbajes
The Bijlmerbajes in south Amsterdam was designed as a humane prison when it opened in 1978 but in recent years it has taken on a new life: it is now a creative hub for locals and refugees alike.
River crossing
Bridges are meant to make our cities better connected but sometimes they highlight existing divides. We explore two very different examples in Lisbon and Budapest. Plus: a special report exploring the outskirts of London…
Tall Stories 68: Montreal’s Olympic Stadium
Following the news that Montreal’s Olympic Stadium is to be transformed into a welcome centre for asylum seekers, our Toronto bureau chief Tomos Lewis tells the story of one of the city’s most famed structures.
Urban Resilience Summit
Highlights and insights from this year’s Urban Resilience Summit by the 100 Resilient Cities network, which assembled more than 500 urban leaders, practitioners and city activists in New York.