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
Lessons from history
What lessons can cities learn from the past? We discuss Leonardo da Vinci’s plans for the ideal city, sketched after a pandemic; revisit the pneumatic tube system; and re-examine the humble drinking fountain.
Tall Stories 303: Jerusalem International YMCA
Emily Wither visits one of the world’s most stunning YMCA buildings to explore how the space has helped to bring together a divided city.
Helsinki report, part two: Innovation
How Helsinki is creating more liveable spaces, the latest technology being rolled out by Kone and we visit an active mine 200 metres below ground, which is now used as a testing laboratory for high-rise buildings.
Tall Stories 302: French Communist Party headquarters, Paris
Hester Underhill visits a strange subterranean building in the French capital designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.
Helsinki report, part one: Sustainability
Climate change is the biggest threat to our cities. Helsinki has set the ambitious target to be carbon-neutral by 2030, a goal matched by global engineering firm KONE. Monocle 24’s Carlota Rebelo reports from Finland.
Tall Stories 301: Bonus Facciate, Milan
Ed Stocker examines Milan’s recent obsession with building renovations and the tax incentives behind it.
Cleaner transport
What are some of the ways in which cities are ensuring that transport systems join the green revolution? We look at the electrification of buses, the return of a cable car in Zagreb and a subway expansion in Stockholm.
Tall Stories 300: Sights and sounds
Andrew Tuck ponders what lessons old photographs of cities can teach us about our contemporary metropolises.
Seeking refuge
Millions of Ukrainians have now fled their homes, prompting a huge humanitarian effort. We report from the border with Romania, meet a Zürich hotelier who is welcoming those fleeing the conflict and head to Trampoline, a café in London that is hiring refugees.
Tall Stories 299: South Park Street Cemetery, Kolkata
Sally Howard takes us on a tour of a historic cemetery in Kolkata, capital of West Bengal.
