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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
Tall Stories 445: Maha Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj
Geetanjali Krishna takes us to a temporary city on the banks of the Ganges river to investigate a large example of temporary urbanism brought about by a Hindu pilgrimage.
Cultural city planning
We explore how keeping culture in mind when planning our cities can have effects beyond just arts-related improvements. The people behind ‘The Routledge Handbook of Urban Cultural Planning’ tell us more. Plus: we visit…
Tall Stories 444: Sacré-Cœur, Paris
Carla Hyenne describes the history of Paris’s Sacré-Cœur basilica, which holds a history that many of those who visit the monument today might not be familiar with.
Los Angeles wildfires and the future of the city
We discuss the environmental causes, political response and mobility fallout surrounding the Los Angeles wildfires. We examine some of the thousands of structures lost to this catastrophic blaze that tore through many of LA’s…
Tall Stories 443: Helsinki’s canopy kiosks
Petri Burtsoff visits his home city to see how it has revived its “canopy kiosks”, which have been a distinctive feature of the Finnish capital for a century.
The World Economic Forum: cities of tomorrow
From creating more resilient cities to how architecture can lift a community, cities hold the key to meaningful change in the world. Monocle’s Carlota Rebelo reports from The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in…
Tall Stories 442: 24 Sussex Drive, Ottawa
Tomos Lewis ponders a potential spring clean of Canada’s official prime ministerial residence.
Materials matter
How can the materials with which we choose to build affect the economics, sustainability and resilience of our built environment? We explore the material world through a recent title about available resources, an explainer…
Tall Stories 441: Shuri Castle, Okinawa
Tomás Pinheiro describes the recent renovation of one of Okinawa’s Unesco World Heritage Sites after a devastating fire in 2019, as well as the history of reconstructions that this castle has undergone.
Destinations for 2025
We visit two destinations that should factor into your 2025 travel plans. In Portugal we assess the hospitality sector after a record year in visitor numbers, then we tune in to the sounds of…
