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 362: Madison Square Garden, New York
HJ Mai delves into the debate over what’s next for New York’s most emblematic sports and events venue.
Toronto’s mayoral election
As Toronto prepares for a snap mayoral election on 26 June, we explore the urban issues at stake and hear how the vote presents an opportunity for change.
Tall Stories 361: Habitat 67, Montreal
Paul Logothetis explores the terraces and towers of Montreal’s most famous housing complex.
Rethinking spaces for transport
We explore some examples of adaptive reuse that are transforming old transit hubs – and designing new ones. Plus: the annual European Tramdriver Championship.
Tall Stories 360: Ontario Place, Toronto
Tomos Lewis assesses plans for Toronto’s iconic waterfront entertainment space.
Obstacles to innovation
We assess some novel city plans and the obstacles that they have to overcome, from safer autonomous cars to dying downtown cores. We then look at what happens when the best features in a design phase are ignored once built.
Tall Stories 359: The Fiat Tagliero Building, Asmara
Isabella Jewell explores how colonialism shaped the distinctly Italian architecture of the Eritrean capital.
Sadie Morgan and tackling homelessness
Sadie Morgan discusses the shortlist for the forthcoming Davidson Prize, how our cities can help rough sleepers and how good planning can improve every aspect of urban life, from housing to infrastructure. Plus: a look at Los Angeles’s solutions to homelessness.
Tall Stories 358: Villa Mairea, Pori
Petri Burtsoff takes us to one of Alvar Aalto’s most famous buildings: a modernist demonstration of what mass housing was lacking at the time.
Chasing zero
Cities around the world are making commitments to reduce their net carbon emissions to zero. But what are the steps being taken to ensure this goal is achieved, and who is leading the race towards a greener urban future?
