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
What’s new?
This week we meet graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister, hear all about Groningen’s cycling revolution and get a sneak peek of the University of Toronto’s School of Cities.
A few things
We empty out The Urbanist closet to bring you some of the stories we’ve been working on, including: urban art in Toronto, architecture through the eyes of Claude Monet and a chat with Bruce Katz about his new book ‘The New Localism’.
The crowd effect
We examine how crowdfunding is being applied to real estate and local government – and why one US mayor is taking this phenomenon with a pinch of salt. Can you create a more successful city if you ask the crowd?
Let’s get moving
We get a return ticket to one of the most important themes covered on ‘The Urbanist’ – mobility. As cities push to be less dependent on cars and promote public transport, we look at three outposts to see what they are getting right.
Turning off the tap
Cape Town was set to run out of drinkable water in less than 10 days from now. But as the city narrowly avoided the dreaded “Day Zero”, it has ignited a worldwide debate about the issue and how to ensure this won’t happen in the near future elsewhere.
Animal spirits
This week is all about animals and cities: from backyard chickens to birdwatching and even entrepreneurs making life easier for your furry friend. Plus: how can we design our public spaces in a more animal-friendly way?
Reclaiming the streets
Politics and city living are intertwined – and there’s no better place to witness it than at a demonstration. Be it a students’ march, silent walkout or pro-immigration protest, it’s about coming together in a public space for a rallying cry that screams “enough!”.
Was that on purpose?
Around the world you’ll find examples of cities that were built to order. Because whether it’s a megalomaniac’s metropolis in the middle of the desert or a new administrative capital for a reviving nation, there’s something appealing about starting from scratch.
Urban crime
The city has often been seen as a place where bad things happen – especially crime. And while many are still the backdrop against which murderers, robbers and fraudsters commit their offences, cities have actually become much safer in recent years.
From grey to green
Cities are some of the world’s biggest polluters so how should we reimagine urban living to tackle climate change? We bring you a special report from the CitiesIPCC Cities and Climate Change Science Conference, where we met scientists, global leaders and policymakers who are trying to make city living greener.
