17 December 2015
Episode 218
27 minutes
Photo: Anna & Michal
As people head out to get last-minute gifts, we bring you a festive episode looking at how Christmas affects our cities. We visit Strasbourg’s 400-year-old market, discover how things got a bit out of hand with lightning decorations in Colombia and head to Madrid for a diplomatic Christmas fair. Plus: a lesson in festive window dressing in New York.
17 December 2015
Share episode
DownloadChapter 1
7 minutes
Photo: francois schnell
15
15
/
Chapter 2
5 minutes
Photo: Mario Carvajal
15
15
/
Colombia has always taken festivities quite seriously. In recent years, it’s become the norm for Colombian cities to compete with each other in the scale and spectacle of Christmas decorations. And even though there is no official prize, regional pride is at stake.
5 minutes
Share chapter 2
Chapter 3
6 minutes
Photo: Phil Roeder
15
15
/
Nothing signifies Christmas in New York more than the Rockefeller Center’s Christmas tree and a stroll down Madison Avenue, where the major department stores transform their windows into a major spectacle. We meet the man who has been creating the window displays at Bergdorf Goodman for almost 20 years.
6 minutes
Share chapter 3
Chapter 4
6 minutes
Photo: jacinta lluch valero
15
15
/
This week Madrid will open its first Christmas Fair of International Cultures. Together with the participation of 48 embassies, the six-day event is set to become an all-singing, all-dancing celebration of what unites the world’s cultures and religions over the holiday season.
6 minutes
Share chapter 4
Want 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
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’.
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…
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.
Swimmable cities, Battersea Power Station and indigenous retail
Matt Sykes, co-founder and convenor of Swimmable Cities, describes how our urban centres can band together to promote more swimmable urban waterways. Then Sebastien Ricard from Wilkinsoneyre unpacks the transformation of…
Tall Stories 438: Cusco’s duality
Elna Schutz explores how antiquity and modernity coexist in the city of Cusco, perched high in the Andes.
How municipal architects shape our cities
From the perspectives of towns, cities and countries, we look at the role of the municipal architect today to see how this centralised advisor can help to cut red tape, mould an identity and connect stakeholders for better…
Tall Stories 437: Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation, New York
Paul Logothetis takes us to an intriguing new building that is just as awe inspiring as the exhibits housed within.
‘The Land is Full’, plus urbanism for young and old
We speak to Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, whose new monograph, ‘The Land is Full’, explains why all land comes with deep history and cultural ties. Then we inspire young urbanists with the author…
Tall Stories 436: Tallinna Linnahall
David Plaisant visits a Soviet-era concert hall that has been disused for the best part of 15 years and is loved and loathed by the city’s residents in equal measure.
The positives of public parks, Kitchener’s glockenspiel and the art of letter carving
We assess all the benefits that public green space brings to a city, visit one of the most German cities in Canada to see how the town glockenspiel brings residents together and investigate the ancient art of letter carving…
Tall Stories 435: Streetcars in El Paso
Gregory Scruggs hops aboard a street car in El Paso to find out how the revival of this transportation option has struck a chord with the locals.
Protecting London’s past
We explore some iconic parts of London’s past through ‘London Lost Interiors’, a book revealing the great indoors of the UK capital. Plus: a cylindrical example of brutalist architecture, Space House, which has been pres…
Tall Stories 434: Millionaire’s Row, George Town
Tomás Pinheiro discusses the history of a prestigious street in the capital of Malaysia’s Penang state and assesses some of the new developments taking over the area.
Utopian Hours 2024
Monocle’s Ed Stocker reports from Turin’s annual festival of urbanism, Utopian Hours, where a collection of inspiring speakers discussed everything from meanwhile spaces to climate resilience. Plus: we visit the river Po…
Tall Stories 433: Holcim Foundation Awards series: Sou Fujimoto
Each week we welcome one of the jury chairs of the Holcim Foundation Awards – the world’s premier competition for sustainable design – to hear their views on creating uplifting places, fostering a healthy planet and buil…