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
Bloomber’s New York – Part 2
Bloomberg’s New York: In the second of a two-part documentary on Michael Bloomberg’s 12 years at New York City Hall, we look at the former mayor’s management style, why he loves a cubicle and how he built such a loyal team.
Bloomberg’s New York – Part 1
Bloomberg’s New York: the first of a two-part documentary on Michael Bloomberg’s 12 years at City Hall. We look at what New York built – from changing the skyline to opening the High Line – and why some street vendors’ jobs are on the line.
2013 highlights
The best bits: highlights of ‘The Urbanist’ from 2013.
The festive season
Christmas: from festive markets new and old to what to do with all those discarded trees – what does the festive season mean for a city?
New horizons
New horizons: Adelaide’s lord mayor, ‘Celluloid Skyline’ author James Sanders and the slow cities guidebook. Plus: Columbia’s Studio X lands in Istanbul.
Migration
Migration: from a City Hall breaking down language barriers in new communities to a capital at the wrong end of a brain drain.
Urban regulation
By the rules: we look at the regulations that guide our cities – from recycling in Bern to drinking outdoors in Istanbul – which one make sense, and which ones don’t?
Sports in the metropolis
Sport: from football to Formula 1, sports can unify cities, influence their form and brand them for decades. We head to Madrid, Rio, New York and Monaco see how cities are staying on track.
Cities and war
Cities and war: we put on our flak jackets to speak to people from the worlds of architecture, the military and academia to find out what happens when a city gets caught in the crossfire.
Philanthropy in the city
People who give: we take a look at the history of philanthropy in London, the art collector in Spain who is struggling to give up her masterpieces, and the seaside town that’s trying to whip up a creative storm. Plus, a roundtable with authors Bruce Katz and Benjamin Barber.
