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
Everyone’s a critic
We explore why it’s so important to be critical about our urban environment, as we delve into the world of architecture-and-design criticism to see how it helps us to better understand and form the cities we live in.
Tall Stories 322: Paving the Søerne, Copenhagen
Christian Green investigates how Copenhagen avoided plans to pave over their city lakes to make more room for the car, and ended up as one of the world’s most cycle friendly centres.
Ukraine report: part two
We travel to Ukraine to listen to the stories of its people and witness a nation preparing for a better future. In part two of our report, we visit two cities near opposite borders – Chernihiv close to Belarus and Chernivtsi near Romania.
Tall Stories 321: Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco
Ivan Carvalho reveals the story behind one of the San Francisco skyline’s defining skyscrapers.
Ukraine report: part one
We travel to Ukraine to listen to the stories of its people and witness a nation that truly embodies the word resilience. In part one of our report, we look at local government: running a city is challenging at the best of times, let alone during a war.
Tall Stories 320: Klybeck, Basel
Maja Renfer visits the banks of the Rhine in Basel to explore a once-bustling industrial area that has been claimed by both the public and developers alike.
Negative space
We consider the empty space above the buildings in our cities and how best to utilise it. Plus: a look at London’s protected views.
Tall Stories 319: Northern Ireland’s murals
Henry Rees-Sheridan looks at how Northern Ireland is seeking to move beyond its history of sectarian conflict by confronting the related murals that dot the city.
The Elizabeth line
Monocle’s editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, hops on an eastbound Elizabeth-line train with industrial designer Julian Maynard for a tour of the newest addition to London’s transport network.
Tall Stories 318: The Palmeral of Elche
Julia Webster Ayuso takes a stroll through the centuries-old palm grove woven into the history of the Spanish city of Elche.
