The Urbanist
Monocle’s guide to better cities. Explore urban innovation, cutting-edge infrastructure, and compact living with insights from planners, architects, and city leaders.
Latest Episodes
It’s Christmas time
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:…
Hipsters
It’s the most dangerous species out there: the hipster. We look at how one of the most popular subcultures has become the scapegoat for the problems of a city, from gentrification to expensive cold brew. Join us as we explore the great hipster reshuffling in Vancouver, discover how London’s tech…
Deliveries
From cycle messengers in Lisbon to a family-owned company that delivers Scottish Christmas trees all around London, we discover how people around the world are getting their logistics sorted and how new demands transform our cities. Plus: we wrap up our series on the battle for New York’s public spaces.
Paris: My city
As the world remains on edge following the events in Paris on 13 November, we decided to take a step back to see how continuing with the Parisian way of life is the best way to fight terrorism. In the end Paris will remain just as it is – a…
Urbanistas
Would a city planned or managed by a woman look different to any other? And who are the female urban leaders and architects making a difference in the community? This week is not about adapting the city for women but looking at those women who are changing our cities for…
Unusual neighbours
More often than not you don’t get to pick your neighbours. But while some argue about fences, noisy parties and bushy trees, we decided to take a look at the diversity in our cities and pick out some unusual but rather harmonious relationships all round. Plus: we continue our series…
Music and the city
Acoustics and music can help shape the way people interact with their cities. But how aware are we of the sounds that surround us and are there places that are more musical than others? We discover how the music industry and city planning can be brought together and explore acoustic…
CityLab 2015
We report from CityLab, a two-and-a-half-day summit that gathered the world’s top mayors and urban leaders for a series of chats on how to to make our cities a better place. We explore the vision for London’s transport infrastructure, discover how Rio de Janeiro is gearing up its digital strategy…
Urban flashpoints
Be it gentrification, increasing housing prices or fighting for equality, cities are often the epicentre for protests and calls for change. This week we explore the issues shaping our cities, from anti-gentrification movements in Jaffa to a group going topless in New York for equality. Plus: we reflect on Hong…
