23 August 2012
Episode 45
52 minutes
Pedestrians: from London’s Exhibition Road to the king of all pedestrianised avenues in Copenhagen, we walk paths, parkways and public spaces on foot.
23 August 2012
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.
Thank you, you are now signed up.
The Urbanist - latest episodes
Tall Stories 25: Singapore’s Parkview Square
Between Singapore’s financial district and cosmopolitan Rochor you’ll see one of the city’s most eccentric buildings: Parkview Square. Or, as it is commonly known, the Batman Building.
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,…
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.
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…
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.
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…
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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 ped…
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…