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
Floriade – growing green cities
We report from the international horticultural show that takes place in the Netherlands every 10 years. Once it wraps up, the 60-hectare site will be adapted to become a fully functioning new part of the city of Almere.
Tall Stories 307: La Carbonería, Barcelona
David Stevens heads to the Catalan capital of Barcelona to visit a historic building that offers a fresh perspective on one of its long-hidden façades.
ULI Europe Conference: the future of cities
We’re in Brussels reporting from the Urban Land Institute’s Europe Conference and Young Leaders Forum to explore the emerging trends for cities and what comes next.
Tall Stories 306: Fort Jesus, Mombasa
Samson Mbogo visits Kenya’s Fort Jesus, a Unesco heritage site that is both a major tourist attraction and a symbol of a much darker history.
Global snapshots and city stories
We flick through a few city snapshots and discuss some stories that we have been following from around the globe.
Tall Stories 305: Sesc Pompéia, São Paulo
Monocle’s Ivan Carvalho looks at a remarkable piece of architecture designed by Lina Bo Bardi, whose efforts to preserve an oil-drum factory in the middle of Brazil’s biggest city resulted in a refined design that meets the needs of the community.
Housing design
We look at the different ways in which cities are bringing innovative designs to their new housing stock to ensure that growing urban populations have a place that they can be proud to call home.
Tall Stories 304: The Red Fort, New Delhi
Geetanjali Krishna looks at the Red Fort in Delhi – and the claim to its ownership by a woman purporting to be the oldest surviving descendant of India’s last Mughal emperor.
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.
