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
Shhh, be quiet
What role does the humble public library play in cities today? Join us as we hear about the impromptu libraries popping up in private houses, reminisce about the bookmobile, discover how one library has employed a team of bats and hear about public libraries in North America.
Crime and the city
We focus on our home city, London, because recent statistics back up what many Londoners have been feeling for months: that we are living through a spike in crime. Andrew Tuck is joined by Anna Mansfield, Rory Geoghegan, Livvy Haydock and Richard Sennett to discuss if there is an urban…
Beirut Design Week 2018
Beirut’s Design Week wants to encourage designers and planners to engage more in solving the city’s many urban issues. So can some tactical urbanism improve quality of life in the Lebanese capital?
Time to cool it
We take a step back, look at the life unfolding around us and ask: have our cities become a little too orderly?
Cities on the rise
This week we’re in the Irish port city of Cork for the Academy of Urbanism’s annual congress. The focus of this year’s edition is as much about unlocking the potential of so-called second cities as it is about tackling the challenges posed by the bigger ones.
Zürich special
A special edition of the show as we broadcast from our new bureau in the city. Reports include a closer look at the lake, Zürich’s relationship with noise and why you should venture to the northern reaches of the city.
Resite 2018
We report from the Resite conference in Prague and explore the theme: ‘accommodate’. From businesses, to homes and people: how should cities be planned to ensure there is enough space for everyone? Featuring Jeanne Gang, Sou Fujimoto, Elizabeth Streb and Dara Huang.
Football and urbanism
From floating pitches to the importance of stadiums to their cities, as fans around the world prepare for kick-off in Russia, we take a broader look at the role that football can play in bringing people together.
Smart cities and housing
We speak to Jonathan Woetzel from the McKinsey Global Institute to hear how we can use technology to improve our quality of life. Plus: commuting between Austria and Slovakia and the president of the Urban Land Institute.
Venice Biennale and more
We report from the Venice Biennale 2018 where we sit down for a chat with the architect David Chipperfield and also with Helsinki’s mayor Jan Vapaavuori. We also meet the architect running for mayor of Bratislava and find out what he might bring to the table.
